Reborn
by Verthril
Summary: Extraordinary events follow the death of an X-man, bringing two together who never thought they could have such a life. Rogue/Remy, Emma/Bobby, Jubilee, and Many More!
1. Small Blessings

Disclaimer : Marvel owns the X-men, I'm just borrowing them.   
  
  
Author's Note : Okay, don't ask me where this idea came from, but I had to write it down so I could get some sleep before work ;) Tis an odd idea, but eh, what the heck.   
  
  
Reborn   
  
  
Chapter One : Small Blessings 

  
  
  


The voice had been with her since that awful day, supportive in dark moments and jubilant when joy befell her. It wasn't like the curse that Carol Danvers had been, no, this time it was far different. A dying wish for a friend as fear of death took hold. A young life stolen in her prime, while experiences beyond her years, the life she lived had been short. In the end, they found Rogue clutching the still form of Jubilation Lee, sobs shaking her invulnerable body. 

Jubilee had made her way to visit with friends of old, seeking out Storms team of Mutants as she still sought to find her place in the world. Rogue had gladly accepted the task of meeting Jubilee at the small airport where the chartered jet was to land. Waiting out on the runway in a silk shirt, jacket and jeans, she looked like any other friend waiting for the arrival from a old friend. The plane came in low, too low she realized. A burst of sonic speed and she was under the nose, guiding the plane in to the runway. With the plane having touched down, she flew to the door and ripped it from its hinge, only to be encompassed in billowing smoke. 

Forcing past the smoke, she made her way into the wrecked interior, finding what looked to be the results of an explosion. Fear welled in her chest as she made her way past the bodies, until she found the prone form of Jubilee huddled in a corner, bloodied and scared. 

"Roguey?" Jubilee questioned weakly. 

Rogue was to her side within a heartbeat, cradling her close and rocking her gently. "Ah'm here sugah." Rogue whispered. 

"I'm dying Rogue." Jubilee coughed out, a trickle of blood trailing down her chin. 

"No your not sugah, the paramedics will be here soon." Rogue instisted with steeled determination in her voice. 

"I'm dying Rogue, getting cold, slipping away..." Jubilee coughed out once more, pausing to take in a ragged breath. "I'm scared." 

"Ah'm here for ya Sugah, just hold on a bit longer. Ah can hear the paramedics." Rogue pleaded as tears filled her eyes. 

Jubilee looked up weakly, the sparkle in her sapphire eyes fading. Ever so slowly Jubilee reached up and poised her hand next to Rogue's cheek, her eyes containing a pleading look as the fire of life faded. Rogue suddenly realized that Jubilee wouldn't make it, but she didn't want her death to be in vain. Ever so carefully, Rogue brushed her cheek against Jubilee's hand in an affectionate jesture, the life force slowly being leeched from Jubilee as a tiny smile fell over her face. As Jubilee took her last breath, Rogue felt a tingle in the back of her mind, as a new mind settled in. A distant and weak 'Thank you' whispered in Rogue's mind, and at that the tears and wails of pain rang out as Rogue pulled Jubilee's dead body to her own. 

That had been nine months ago, and Rogue now found herself crying out in pain once more, though not from the loss of life, but from the birth of life. A mystery to this day, shortly after Jubilee's death, Rogue found herself to be with child. Controversy rang through the X world at the news, yet Rogue and Remy let it wash over them like water from a ducks back. Rogue was going to be a mother, and Remy a daddy, and that's all they cared about. Shortly after the revelation of her pregnancy, Remy proposed to Rogue, and not even a month later she was now the proud Mrs. Remy LeBeau. 

With another cry of pain, she pushed and clenched down on the hands of those whom were able to give their support to the new mother, a mother possessing Super Strength and Invulnerability. Monet held one hand, her own nigh invulnerability protecting her, while Paige had husked to a form that would not have her hand crushed. Remy stood off in a corner, video taping, while the doctor, a friend of Hanks, worked at delivering the baby. 

"Just one more push!" The doctor cried out, amazed that the baby hadn't been aborted yet by the strange physiology of the mother. 

"Ah am pushing!" Rogue cried out as she gave one last push, screaming out in pain that she had never before experienced. 

As her own scream drifted off into silence, a new scream rang out. The doctor exclaimed with joy that it was a girl, and with that the parents gave the child the name they had held dear to their hearts since the miracle happened those nine months ago. Jubiliation. After the doctor cut the cord and wrapped the baby in a blanket, he handed her to the exhausted mother. As Rogue looked down to the child, a gasp of shock escaped her. Probing her mind for the presence of Jubilee, she could not feel her nor call her. Giving another look to her baby, she stared in awe at the Asian features, but even more so, the sapphire blue eyes which looked up to her affectionatly, amazing in the fact that they had opened mere moments after birth. 

As Paige and Monet looked to the child, gasps escaped their own lips, causing the father by marriage to draw closer. As he looked to the child in his loving wife's arms, he too let out a shocked gasp. 

"Merde..." Remy whispered. 


	2. Revelations

Disclaimer : Marvel owns the X-men, I'm just borrowing them.   
  
  


Author's Note : Wow, you guys know how to make a guy feel all warm inside. Just had my Internet cut of for the past few days, and I come back to find a total of fourteen reviews! That's the most I've had for a single chapter ever I believe! Anyhoo, on another note, for questions asked in the reviews, there are other forces at work for the birth, which shall be revealed in time. Any other questions should be answered in this chapter ;) 

Enjoy!   
  
  
Reborn   
  
  
Chapter Two : Revelation   
  
  


Rouge cradled her child in her arms, gently rocking her child who cooed lightly, giving the occasional giggle. Pulling out a down soft towel, she gently dabbed away a bit of drool that formed on Jubilation's lip. Her heart swelled with love as she looked to the absolute, unconditional love held in those sapphire eyes. Smiling back, Rogue tickled her nose with a free hand, earning a squeal of joy. 

"And how be mon chere and ma petite ange?" Remy asked as he walked in, a cup of tea and a mug of coffee held upon a small tray. 

"We're both doing fine, and how's my husband." Rogue inquired with a pleasant smile upon her face. 

"Happier den I 'ave been in years." Remy replied as he closed the distance, setting the tray down and giving Jubilation his trademark grin. 

Jubiliation reached up a puggy little hand, trying to grasp at a stray lock of Remy's wild auburn hair, giving a gentle tug upon it. Remy merely in return planted a kiss on her forehead, then taking a seat next to his wife and child. Today was the day to dispell all doubt over the miracle birth of their child, a child knowing no father, and an unlikely mother. The birth had brought many surprises with it indeed. 

Since the birth of her child, Rogue had found control finally over her power, at first merely thought to be the family immunity to the power was soon found to be the ability to choose when she would envoke her deadlist of powers, far more deadly than the strength to kill a man with a blow or her invulnerability. Since that day, she had spent nearly all her time with her Jubilation, her hearts joy, cuddling and playing with her, tickling her and enjoying the firm grasp that would occasionaly take a hold upon her finger. Indeed, the birth had brought the long overdue joy to a most deserving couple. 

"Rogu...err...Mrs. LeBeau...Hank is finished with the tests." Paige whispered as she peeked her head in, not wishing to disturb the fledgling family. 

Hope tinged with confusion filled her as she knew the truth finally awaited, the reason for their return to the Westchester Estate of Charles Xavier, rather than unpacking their recently purchased New Orleans mansion. Feeling a hand taking a hold of her free one, Rogue turned to see Remy's demon eyes, looking to her with love and strength. Finally, with a calming breath, she stood up slowly form her chair in the den, giving Jubilation a gently bounce. 

"Ah'm coming." Rogue replied, feeling Remy's arm wrapping about her as they made their way into the med lab.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


As they entered, they found the other X-men sitting about, waiting paitently for them. With a glance from Remy, the others soon realised they wished to find out the news first, as a private matter with the man who took the place of the average family doctor. Exiting quietly, Remy and Rogue took a seat on the sofa that had been brought in, while Hank fiddled with his pen nervously. 

"Come on Henri, you going ta tell us what ya found, or keep wit playing wit your pen?" Remy asked, impatience in his voice, yet too apprehension. 

As the blue furred doctor looked to the fledgling family, a sigh escaped him, knowing that it would be best not to prolong it any more than it had already been, waiting the month for them to settle in and enjoy being a normal family without the dangers of the life of X-men. Walking over, he placed a clawed hand on Rogue's shoulder, a comforting gesture that brought a smile to her lips. 

"The test proved positive. I cannot explain it, nor do I even find any theory of how, but..." Hank paused, taking in a calming breath as tears filled his eyes, the memory of the funeral their youngest charge stirring a painful knot in his stomach. 

"But...dis be de Petite...it be Jubilee..." Remy continued, running a hand through his hair, then pulling Rogue close to his side as tears filled her eyes. 

"Yes." Hank replied in a quiet voice, his mind whirling with the implications. 

"Could this be why Jubilee's presence left me after ah gave birth?" Rogue inquired in an unusually meek voice for the fiery southerner. 

"It very well may be, that is the closest idea I can come by for this miracle. Her brainwave activity is far beyond what a child of her age should be, though most of it seems to be reserved to mere recognition. If you wish...we could have the Professor see what he cannot find, though I leave that entirely to your judgement." Hank replied. 

"Dat be why she seem so alert?" Remy asked as he nuzzled Rogue's neck with his nose. 

"Perhaps." Rogue whispered, finding it impossible not to smile at the look Jubilee held in her sapphire eyes as she eyed Hank's twinkies sitting upon his desk. 

"No solid food yet." Rogue whispered, planting a kiss that once held death upon its lips to Jubilee's forehead. 

A scowl fell over Jubilee's face as she spit a few bubbles in annoyance, the alert look in her eyes holding the truth that she understood the tone of the voice, and the word 'No'. With a sigh, Rogue looked back up to Hank, giving a gentle nod. 

"We'll let the Professor see what he can't find. Could ya do us a favor sugah, and tell the others. Ah just can't do it right now." Rogue whispered as she pulled her legs up upon the sofa, settling down for a wait for the Professor. 

"Of course. Be well." Hank whispered, quietly taking his leave from the room.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
Monet and Paige sat with Jono, a hushed conversatoin being held about the fate of their fallen teammate. The senior X-men found themselvse sitting across the room, passing along memories of the Mallrat gone Hero. Silence fell over both groups as they saw Hank walk in, looking ragged and tired beyond his years. As he adjusted the glasses upon his nose, his mutation having had taken yet another leap as Feline and Ape merged, giving him hands once more, yet truly looking far more beastial than ever before. All their eyes fell upon him as he darkened the doorway, a weak nod herelding the truth. 

"She's..." Bobby asked, not even able to speak the truth beyond that. 

"The baby is...Jubilee..." Hank remarked, the room bursting into a cacophony of questions and shock. 

Hank stood stoicly, waiting for the questions to finally silence. Emotions flared, theories rang out, and relief was had. By some miracle, Jubilee had cheated death, some force had granted one who had so much taken over the years, a gift at a second chance. Jean was the first to ask the most obvious of the questions, a sputtering cough catching his attention. 

"Does...I mean...will she...remember?" Jean asked. 

"There seems to be a hint that it may be so, for we have all noted how she takes to those she knew, yet acts like any other baby to a stranger." Hank replied. 

"The Professor..." Paige asked meekly. 

"Yes...Rogue has agreed to let him see what he cannot sense." Hank replied, giving a nod and showing a hopeful look in his eyes.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Professor Charles Francis Xavier gave a warm smile to Jubilee as she giggled at him, waving a small arm at him as she tried to grasp his tie. Rouge and Remy looked to one another, truly hopeful that he would find something, yet still overjoyed at having a child all their own. As Charles placed a finger to Jubilee's temple, a small hand reached up and took a hold upon it, clinging possesivly to it. 

"She has quite a grip." Charles mused, chuckling as a warmth filled his heart, of all his 'Children of the Atom', he had been overjoyed to find out that these two deversing souls had finally found peace in a small bundle of Jubilation. 

"Just like her mama." Rogue replied, having found slight resemblances in her childs face, despite the distinctly Asian features of Jubilee. 

"Are we ready?" Charles inquired. 

"As Ah'll evah be." Rogue replied, handing her child over to Charles. 

As Charles looked down to the squirming child in his arms, he let his mind reach out, touching the presence of the child. His eyes grew tear filled, while a never before seen sense of disbelief held the eternal dreamer, able to dream the most troubled of dreams, equity for his people, his children. The laughter beyond that of a child filled his mind, and a memory stirred, a memory shared by him, but from another's mind. 

He and Jubilee sat about the ruins of the mansion, soaking wet and wrapped in towels to ward off the evening chill that had set in. She had granted him one last pleasure before he lost the ability to walk once more, a pleasure he had never before known as he raced with her upon a set of borrowed roller blades, ever the mischevious child as she sent the pair of them tumbling into a pond. As he made his way from Jubilee, heading back to the mansion, he felt his legs buckle, his curse returning to him. In a moment he expected to fall, she had caught him, the metaphor not lost to him as they walked back to the mansion, over coming weaknesses with one anothers strengths. 

Rogue watched as the Professor's breathing became labored and tears welled in his eyes, lost to the mindscape of her child, and one time charge. In that instance, the tears welled in her own child's eyes, an unusual smile creeping over her pouty lips. Suddenly the Professor snapped back to alertness, gently handing Jubilee back to her mother. 

"Well..." Remy asked quietly. 

"Yes Remy, she holds the memories of Jubilee. If not in due time all of her own, we will be able to restore her memories if it is decided so to intervine in this rare miracle." Charles replied, taking a calming breath to regain his composure. 

"In time oui, but for now, we be giving 'er de family she lost twice now, her parents by birth, and de X-men by death." Remy whispered, planting a kiss on Rogue's brow. "Does Mrs. LeBeau agree wit dat?" 

"Yes. Mrs. LeBeau thinks that's a wonderful idea, don't you Jubilee?" Rogue asked, looking down to the bundle of joy in her arms. 

A glint of recognition surfaced in Jubilee's eyes, a smile creeping across her pouty lips. The idea seemed unanimous between the family, and in that moment, Remy and Rogue whispered an oath to one another, an oath that nothing would ever hurt their family like they had been so many times before in their lives before the joining took place, in which Jubilation Lee became Jubiliation LeBeau. 


	3. First Steps

Disclaimer : Marvel owns the X-men, I'm just borrowing them.   
  
  


Author's Note : Once again thanks for all the reviews you kind folks, I am glad your enjoying this story as much as I am writing it! And without making you wait a moment longer, Chapter Three! 

Enjoy!   
  
  
Reborn   
  
  
Chapter Three : First Steps   
  
  


Rogue awoke to the wail of her child, pulling her from the dreaming world back to the waking world with an abrupt maternal pull. Looking next to her she found Remy slowly stirring, his hair frazzled and looking utterly adorable in a fatherly manner. With a chaste kiss, she climbed from bed, pulling a robe about herself before finding her way to the nursery that had been built in the stead of Jubilee's old room. 

As she walked down the halls, she could hear the night life of the mansion still stirring in the dark hours of the new day, students merely seeking a new life away from the hatred and persecution they would face if not for this safe haven. A smile found its way to her lips as she thought of the home that this place had provided to her over the years, now offering a home to the next generation of children blessed and cursed with the X-Factor gene. Finally as she turned a corner, she found the crying had ceased, while sparkling lights from the mobile Hank had built for Jubilee danced in the hallway, carrying the greens and reds and blues of her previous lives mutant gift. 

Creeping slowly to the door, she could make out a faint whispering of a nursery rhyme. With a peek in, she found Emma dressed in a robe, looking radiant despite the ungodly hour, cradling Jubilee in her arms as she whispered to her in a soothing tone. Rogue paused in this moment, taking in an unlikely visage of the elitist Emma Frost, head of business and former White Queen of the Hellfire Club. The smile further increased with the look upon Jubilee's face, having been lolled back to a peaceful sleep. 

"Hello Rogue..." Emma whispered as she turned and passed a smile to the doorway. 

"Nevah thought ah would see the day that you looked right motherly Emma." Rogue whispered as she crept in from her shadowy perch on the doorway. 

"Nor I." Emma whispered as she sat down in the rocking chair, slowly rocking back and forth as she looked down to the slumbering form of Jubilee. 

"So, what's got ya up this late?" Rogue asked as she sat down next to her on a stool. 

"Sleeping in my diamond form is rather less than comfortable, though the benefit of not having the youth's emotions or dreams seeping into my own is an advantage." Emma remarked with a little smile upon her face. 

"Leaving one school for another eh? Ah can't blame ya with all that happened. I used ta talk with Jubilee about it. All Ah can say is that Ah'm sorry." Rogue whispered, drawing upon the experience of living with Jubilee in her mind for those nine months, coming to know her closely as she had known anyone in all that time. 

"Indeed. But that is another life now, as was my time with the Hellfire Club. Best left forgotten." Emma whispered as a sad tone entwined with her voice. 

As Jubilee slowly stirred back to the waking world, she looked up to her mother with a sleepy expression in her sapphire eyes. With a quirked smile, Rogue drew upon a gift from the passing of Jubilation in that plane crash, sending sparkling lights of plasmoids drifting about the room, dancing to the lullaby she slowly began to sing. With every attempt to grasp a plasmoid, Rogue would have it vanish in a snap, earning a giggle from her daughter. 

"Ya know Emma, we still haven't chosen a Godmother yet." Rogue whispered, slowly looking up to Emma. 

Emma looked to Rogue with a stunned expression upon her face, speechless for once. Of all the people Rogue knew, she would honor her with this title? Not Ororo or Jean? Questions whirled in her mind, as a rare red hue fell upon her ivory cheeks. Finally a single question parted her lips, almost a breathless whisper unto the night. "Why?" 

"Ya just seem a likely choice is all. Ah mean ya took care of a whole school with all but Sean ta help ya, and taking care of three headstrong teenaged girls ain't a simple task." Rogue whispered. 

"Headstrong? Who might this third headstrong girl might be, as I only knew Jubilation or Page to be thus." A new voice whispered into the night, an Algerian accent drifting upon the night currents. 

"Good evening Monet, what brings you up in this hour?" Emma inquired, her own question briefly forgotten. 

"Have you ever shared a bed with a man who has wings of an Angel?" Monet inquired with a quirk of her eyebrow, a slow smile passing her lips finally. 

"I cannot say I have, is Warren truly that impossible to bed with?" Emma inquired. 

"Bedding? No, sleeping, yes." Monet whispered in a sly tone, braking the mold of her upbringing momentarily for a moment of sisterly gossip. 

Giggles soon erupted in the room, being hushed down quickly as they regained their composure. Silence hung about the room like a wafting fog, billowing to the songs of the ancient lives passed on before. Finally as Emma looked back to Rogue, a smile passed between the two women. 

"I would be honored to be her Godmother Rogue." Emma whispered, handing her new Goddaughter to her mother. 

"Ah'm glad ta hear that Sugah. Now lets say good night to everyone Jubilation, we got us a big day ahead of us tommorow." Rogue whispered as she rose and placed Jubilee back in her crib. 

"Good night Mrs. LeBeau." Emma whispered, taking a hold upon Rogues hand in an affectionate gesture. 

"Good night Emma." Rogue whispered back with a smile, quietly taking her leave of the room with the other women.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


The bags had been packed, and the vans loaded. Joining the new famliy to help with starting their new life would be Warren and Bobby, along with Emma and Monet. Rogue found herself sitting upon the lawn of the mansion, taking in a last look of what had once been her home, her first true home for as long as she could remember. She had a new home now, and a family by marriage vows and by birth. While no less close to her hold family, it was time to part ways, time to lead as normal a life as life would permit. 

As a shadow fell over her, she didn't even have to turn to know who it was. None in the X-men could possess such a stoic shadow as Bishop. Tears welled in her eyes as she thought of the mission he was about to undertake, with the revelation that had been had the night prior. Turning slowly, she looked up to find him standing with a ruck sack over his shoulder, and a trench coat concealing his personal arsenel. 

"Hey Sugah..." Rogue whispered, fears welling in her chest like a whirlwind. 

"Morning Rogue." Bishop remarked in his ever somber voice. 

"Ya got our address right?" Rogue questioned, not wishing anything to keep him from finding his way there when he finally found the man his quest would set him upon to find. 

"Indeed. I will find him." Bishop remarked with as best he could do for a hopeful voice. 

"Ah know ya will Sugah. Ah know. Here...give him this." Rogue whispered as she pulled out an old cowboy hat, a lifetime of wear and tear evident. 

"The cowboy hat he gave Jubilee?" Bishop inquired, setting it upon his head as the most likely way to ensure the scent would pass to the wind, hopefully carrying forth to his quarry. 

"Yes. Jubilee had been playing with it the other night. Ah...ah...ah don't know. Just tell him..." Rogue whispered, pausing at a loss of words, having known what Logan had meant to her all those years ago. 

"I know. I should be off. He could be anywhere since his disapperance after Jubilee's funeral." Bishop remarked, giving a nod to the mother one last time. 

"Be well Bishop. Thanks..." Rogue whispered as he slowly turned, walking off into the rising sun as he began the first leg of his journey.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Rogue sat upon the lawn, lost to her thoughts, merely content with the peace of the moment. Nine months had passed since that night when Remy had gotten down to his knee, struggling with his own inner demons while he summoned his will to ask a question he had long desired to ask. She had looked down to him, at an utter lose for words as tears filled her eyes, her secret desire acting out before her as Remy plucked a small ring box from his shirt pocket, a pocket that until she had been found to be pregnant had always held a pack of cigarettes. As he opened the box to her, the light of the moon caught the diamond before her, flaring with it's own inner fire, a question asked in that moment that she would never forget...Would you marry me? 

A internal squeal echoed across her mindscape as Jubilee gushed with joy, rooting her to say yes. Her emotions stirred to a climax, and with her reply, her new power had burst to life in an eruption of colourful plasmoids, Jubilee having quietly purchased enough control for the fireworks display high overhead. Rogue and Remy looked skyward, enjoying the fireworks display the disembodied Jubilee had conjured, rivaling anything that had before been seen upon the face of the Earth. In that moment Remy pulled a silk scarf, green as Rogue's eyes, gently pulling it over her face and stealing a chaste kiss. The newly engaged couple spent the night under the stars, planning the life of their future famliy, while the presence of Jubilee receeded into the darkness to give Rogue privacy. 

With a wistful sigh, she looked down to her wedding band and smiled, a diamond set with emeralds about it, Remy having been inspired by the way Rogue would often look coyly up to him from under that white streak of her hair, emerald eyes looking up to his own demon eyes. Slowly she rose to her feet, taking the first steps foward to the emerging crowd from the mansion doors, lead by her husband who held her daughter tenderly in his arms, the warmth of the sight reaching out to her from across the way as she knew she was ready to say good-bye to her old life, and welcome her new with open arms.   
  
  



	4. Penance

Disclaimer : Marvel owns the X-men, I'm just borrowing them.   
  
  


Author's Note : Once again, thank you all for the wonderful reviews, feeding my creative fires that I might continue up this pace! 

As always, Enjoy!   
  
  


Reborn   
  
  
Chapter Four : Penance 

  
  
  


The drive to New Orleans had been relaxing and calm, a jovial air to the trip as they stopped along the way, taking snapshots of the fledgling family at the sights. Pictures littered the family van, Jubilee looking at a rabbit with interest at a petting farm, Rogue and Remy smooching for the camera as they sat under a tree at a rest area, and the one that hung from the rear view mirror of the family standing proudly before the city sign of New Orleans, smiling for the camera as Bobby took the picture. 

The jovial air had ended quickly upon returning to their home, with all settling down in their rooms to rest after the trip. Remy had settled in the living room, enjoying a moment of peace after finally returning home. Suddenly though, that peace was banished as the doors of the foyer were blown from their hinges, men and women alike poured in, guns ready and various weapons drawn. From the crowd a man emerged, dressed in a finely tailored suit, with a pistol deftly held in his hand. Looking to Remy, malice arched between the two like lightning. 

"Welcome home LeBeau, a clever trap non?" The man asked as he snapped his fingers, summoning an old face from the crowd. 

"Louis! You sold Remy out?" Remy cried, looking to a man he once held to be a friend. 

Louis looked to Remy with pain in his eyes, bile rising to his throat from the guilt of the betrayal of a friend. As the man snapped his fingers once more, a woman was thrown to the feet of Louis, dead and cold, pale eyes holding no expression whatsoever. A feral rage built in the man, only to be ceased as a gunshot silenced his cry of outrage. Silence hung in the room, the Assassin Guild enjoying their victory after the dishonor held so long ago. 

"Oui, he sold you out, because we had his sister. Now dat we have you, we can end de feud." The man remarked in a cold voice, leveling the gun on Remy. 

As the gunshot rang out, no cry of pain was heard, only a swift wind cutting through the air as a fist emerged infront of Remy's chest, clenched in anger. Monet looked up to the man, and in that moment she sent the bullet flying back, to his feet, smoke slowly billowing from where it smoldered in the oaken floors. 

"I would ask you to leave now." Monet hissed in a deadly voice, anger radiating from her. 

"As would I." Warren remarked from the top of the stairs. 

"And don't even get me started Sugah, ya just pissed off the wrong woman!" Rogue cried out as appeared before Remy in a burst of sonic speed. 

X-men and Assassins stood poised at one another, waiting for the other to flinch in the deadly standoff that had arisen with the return of Remy LeBeau to his home, after the promise of safe passage by an old friend. A trap had been set, but the prey was clever in it's own sense, bringing friends to help ensure safe passage. As the man in the finely tailored suit flinched, muscles flaring to life as his gun fired a shot once more, the battle had begun. 

Emma sat in the nursery, skin diamond hard as she guarded Jubilee from the battle that had ensued. While protected, she too felt naked as her telepathy laid dormant with her secondary mutation taking hold. Her eyes watched the door and window, looking for any shadows slithering in the ebon darkness that had fallen. Unknown to her, the attack would come from a distance, as a projectile smashed through the window, coming to life in a spray of gas. With her first breath she knew she didn't have time to act, the gas taking hold too quickly on her, her vision growing black. In a final desperate act, a scream burst from her, carrying over the sounds of battle that had taken hold of the night.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Mother and Father looked to the ceiling, the chilled hand of death taking hold of their souls in that moment. With a nod from Rogue, Remy burst from the stairs, a rage powering him as he dispatched any who stood in his way, falling to Bo staff and kinetically charged cards as he culled his way to the stairs. Making his way to the stairs, a shadowy figure emerged , a blade glinting in the darkness. A final hurdle to his daughter and her godmother. With a battlecry, he lunged at the man, fending off slashes with his Bo staff while ever advancing up the stairs. 

As the pair of opponents found footing on the landing of the second floor, Remy could see the gas billowing from the nursery. Pain gripped him as he felt a blade find home in his thigh, cold anger at the thought of whatever poison might now be in his system. With a final defiant slash, he slammed the tipped end of his Bo staff into the assailant, sending him tumbling down the stairs in an unconscious heap. Now staggering, he made his way to the nusery as his vision became clouded. Tumbling into the door, he found two forms upon the ground, while another held his daughter. The poison took hold as he felt a pain as if a hand had gripped his heart, a scream carrying out over the battle once more as the darkness took hold. 

Meanwhile downstairs, the Assassin's had fallen back, holding to the truth that their ploy had worked. Those not engaged in direct battle carried the wounded out, as a retreat was called. Rogue and the others burst up the stairs, fear and apprehension in their souls with the sudden retreat of the Assassin Guild after such a brief battle. As they burst into the room, they found a man perched over Remy, a needle pushing a serum into his heart while he cradled the unconscious Jubilee in his free arm. Rogue lunged in this moment, anger carrying her as she attempted to free her daughter, only to find a her handed freely to her. 

"Who are you!" Rogue cried out as she backed into a corner, looking to Jubilee. 

"Dat any way to speak to your father-in-law?" The man asked as he slowly rose to his feet, giving Rogue that trademark grin of a LeBeau. 

"Jean-Luc?" Rogue asked in a breathless voice, shocked at finding the head of the Thieves Guild tending to his banished son. 

"Oui, I be seeing you two in a couple days, non? I got some business I must attend to first." Jean-Luc remarked, his voice going from casual to deadly, venom finding home as he looked to his fallen son. 

Before Rogue or the others could answer, he walked away and made his way back down the stairs, heading out of the toppled foyer doors and into the night. A shadow to his departure, Rogue followed him to the stairs, pausing there to watch him leave with the grace of a man who owned the night. Shaking her head clear, she ran back and found Emma stirring slowly, with the others carrying Remy to the master bedroom. For the first time ever, Rogue saw Emma cry, knowing failure at protecting her goddaughter. Rogue slowly walked over, placing Jubilee in Emma's arms as she embraced her, whispering forgivness.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


A baby's wail startled husband and wife to the waking world, a groan escaping Rogue as she checked the time. Slumping back into the warm, cozy covers, she cast a sidways glance to Remy as he stared at the ceiling. Returning the glance, Remy gave Rogue a warm smile as he slowly crept out of the covers, nodding his head. 

"I know, it be my turn." Remy whispered in a tired voice. 

"Thanks Sugah..." Rogue yawned as she returned back to her slumber. 

Remy slowly crept from his room, careful to quietly shut the door. Looking down the hallway, a smile crept over his face as he saw the multicoloured sparkles flickering from the nightlight Hank had made Jubilee. As he made his way into the room, he couldn't help but muse if her mutation would be the one they all knew and loved, or if with her rebirth, a new, different aspect might take hold. Looking down upon the irate Jubilee, he carefully picked her up and cradled her, whispering gentle words as he bounced her. 

"Shh P'tite, don cry. Dere be no monsters under your crib, or in your closet." Remy whispered as he walked about the room, taking a seat in the antique rocking chair he had bought for Rogue when the house had been purchased. 

Finally she quieted, slipping back into a peaceful slumber as she cooed lightly. Smiling down to her, Remy took to softly rocking in the chair, finding this nightly routine far more appealing than his wilder years of womanizing in the bars of the world. Not that he wasn't spending this night with a beautiful woman he mused, tickling her chin and earning a giggle for his effort as her eyes shot open. 

"Not ready to go back to sleep, eh P'tite?" Remy questioned, under the astute observance of her sapphire eyes. 

"Papa LeBeau t'inking you be picking up his bad habits, non? Not dat you didn't stay up all hours of de night before." Remy whispered as he rose and headed to the sunporch. 

Though as he made his way there, he found another surprise, sitting in one of the whicker chairs they had seated about the porch. With a glance from Remy though, the figure stubbed out his cigarette and quickly waved away the smoke. Three generations of LeBeau sat in the same room, eyeing one another with decerning glances. 

"I told you I be seeing you in a couple days, did I not?" Jean-Luc questioned as he looked to his son, earning a nod from Remy as a misty look filled his eyes. 

"P'tite, dis be your Grandpapa LeBeau." Remy whispered quietly, closing the distance between himself and his adopted father. 

"So dis be Jubiliation? She be as beautiful as de fille dat stole your heart. Dat be a crime even de Guild couldn't pull off, settling down my son." Jean Luc replied with a fond tone in his voice, reaching from his jacket pocket and pulling out a small locket. 

"What be dis?" Remy asked as he held out his hand. 

"A blood oath, dat so long as you be living back in Nawlins, dat de Guilds cannot touch you or your family, de feud be over. You don want to know de price of dat, but it be well worth it to see dis day finally." Jean Luc replied as he handed the locket to Remy, Jubilee's pudgy hands reaching up to grasp it. 

"Non P'tite, when you older." Remy whispered as he gave her that wry grin. 

"Ah turn my back on ya gal, and ya already got two handsome men fawning over ya." Rogue whispered as she leaned into the doorway, a smile on her face. 

"Merde. Don do dat ta me girl." Remy said as he turned to look to his wife. 

"Startle ya did ah Gumbo?" Rogue inquired, closing the distance and placing a kiss on her husbands lips, then gently took her daughter into her arms. 

"Non, reminding me dat she'll be dating in de future, and knowing de mommy she has, de boys will be coming out of de woodworks." Remy replied as he sat down next to his father. 

Rogue merely blushed in return, then looked down to Jubilee and pointed to Remy. "Promise me now girl, ya don't go giving your Papa any heart attacks by bringing back home any boys until your allowed ta date." 

"Oui P'tite, dat be when your fourty." Remy joked. 

Jubilee merely let out a gurgled stream of spittle as she scrunched her face up, her head drooping back so she could cast him a piercing gaze. Jean Luc knelted down, a smile on his face as he kissed her on the forehead, then rising. 

"I should be going now. You'll have ta have me over for dinner sometime, non?" Jean Luc remarked as he gave a courtly bow to Rogue. 

"Don be a stranger Papa, it been too long." Remy whispered, a pang filling his chest as his eyes grew misty, finally being allowed back in New Orleans after his long banishment, the Thieves Guild finding clout enough to work out a way after the attack. 

"Oui, dat be a promise. Be well." Jean Luc replied as he made his way out the door. 

Silence fell over the room, accented by the light breaths of Jubilee as she drifted off to sleep. Husband and wife looked down to Jubilee, smiling at the serene expression upon her face. Quietly they rose, returning Jubilee to her crib and then back to their bed to the warm embrace of sleep.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


"It looks like the picture on the box." Bobby remarked. 

"Bobby, your looking at the picture upside down." Warren remarked, correcting the picture. 

"Merde." Remy replied with a quick smack to his face, then ushering the other men to flip the house right side up. 

The women looked on, enjoying the shade of a weeping willow while they giggled at the sight of the men working upon the play house for Jubilee, while still too young for it, one could not find reason with men at times. The last week had been spent repairing the damage to the house, while too unpacking and enjoying the peace and quiet finally offered to them. 

As the men righted the house the women clapped, raising their glasses of lemonade and toasting their final success after only spending five hours upon the task. Turning, they powed to their audience and then walked over, taking their place beside their prosective loves and finally relaxing. 

"So, what does the LeBeau family plan to do now that they're settled in?" Bobby asked as he wrapped an arm about Emma, getting his hand slapped for the effort. 

"I still recall the other day when you iced your entire arm Robert, you're still on probation." Emma remarked as she nudged her chair over an inch. 

"Ah don know, I never really evah thought much about it, ya know, having a normal life away from the X-men. For now I'm going ta raise Jubilee, then maybe when she's older Ah'll go back ta school, finish off my high school in the eyes of Government records and them perhaps go ta college." Rogue remarked, a small smile at the idea of going to college, being surrounded by people without having to fear for their lives. 

"Hey, what about you Remy, going to get back into 'De t'ieving arts'?" Bobby asked as he did a lame impression of Remy's accent. 

"Non, did enough of dat in me younger years now. Got a nest egg saved up for just such an occasion as dis. Time ta sit back and enjoy all de hard work, and de tricks dat accountant I hired worked, ensuring a tidy sum of intrest upon de egg way back den." Remy remarked as a grin spread across his face, knowing the small fortune he hid away would last them for a very comfortable lifestyle until he and Rogue were both gray in hair and with grandchildren perhaps running through the halls of their new home. 

"I think I could use a break from the usual hectic routine of saving the world. What about you Monet, want to buy that lovely house we saw on the way in?" Warren asked as he looked down to Monet. 

"A little smaller than I am accustomed to, though it did appear rather cozy." Monet remarked, understating the size of the house. 

Bobby suddenly turned to Emma, puppy dog eyes going into overdrive. Emma merely glared at him in return, content with her New York condo and the nightlife to move to New Orleans. With a quiver of Bobby's lips as he brought a misty-eyed expression to his eyes, she let out a groan of a sigh. 

"Fine Mr. Drake, I shall find myself a nice summer house here, but only to allow me to be closer to my Goddaughter, and not for your utterly shameless act." Emma remarked, laughs following as Bobby gave a cheer. 

As chatter filled the afternoon breeze, dreams filled the minds of those present at the LeBeau household, a fresh start for all, rewards for the trials of their lives before.   
  
  



	5. Returns

Disclaimer : Marvel owns the X-men, I'm just borrowing them.   
  
  


Author's note : Well, I finally got the fifth chapter up! Enjoy! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews as always!   
  
  
Reborn   
  
  
Chapter Five : Returns   
  
  


"Momma!" The shrill cry carried throughout the house, while the others prepared for the birthday party that afternoon. 

Two years had nearly passed since the LeBeau's had settled down in New Orleans, finding the house warming gift from Jean-Luc to have held true. Not even so much as a dirty glance had been passed from the Guilds of New Orleans to the fledgling family. Now though, they had an even worse fate to deal with, Jubilee's Second birthday. 

"What is it Sugah?" Rogue inquired, walking out from the living room with a streamer wrapped about her neck not unlike a boa. 

"Wolvie." Jubilee cried as she held up the plush stuffed Wolverine toy, an eye dangling upon a strand of thread. 

"Awww, here, Mommy will see if Ah can't get Wolvie's healing going." Rogue whispered to her daughter as tears filled her eyes. 

"Dank 'ou." Jubilee replied, toddling off to look for her Uncle Bobby and Auntie Emma. 

Rogue smiled as her daughter ran off, that mischevious glint to her eyes that she always got before trouble befell one of her extended family members. Turning about, she bumped into her husband, looming in the doorway quietly as he watched the exchange of mother and daughter. Looking up into his demon eyes with her own emerald spheres, she gave a coy look as she held up the injured 'Wolvie' doll. 

"Wolvie needs ta get his healing factor ta work eh?" Remy inquired, flicking the dangling eye gently as he smiled to his wife. 

"Yup. Ah tell ya, this doll needs a healing factor to keep up with her." Rogue replied, walking into the living room and finding her sewing kit. 

"Any word from Bishop Chere?" Remy inquired, knowing it to be an awkward subject, especially around Jubilee's birthday. 

Rogue gave a sigh, sagging her shoulders and shaking her head, pulling the doll to her chest as she became lost to the letters that Bishop had sent over the last couple years. He had transversed the globe in his search, but never did he ever give up hope on finding Logan. He just carried on in his relentless search, not letting the eternal loner escape from them this time. So lost to her thoughts, she didn't even notice as Remy pulled near to her, wrapping his arms about her as he kissed her upon her head. 

"Maybe not dis year Roguey, but he will find him. Logan got only so many hiding places before he stumbles, and when he does, Bishop will be dere. Trust dis Cajun, he know dat Bishop be dey obsessive type." Remy whispered, kneeling down next to Rogue as she finally pulled out her sewing kit to repair the 'Wolvie' doll. "Ah know. It's just that, that Logan's missin' her growin' up. Heck, when he finds out, he's gonna beat himself up for it. And Ah wanted Jubilee to know her 'Wolvie' before she got too old." Rogue whispered as she stitched the eye back on. 

"Shhh. I know Chere, but all we can do is hope." Remy whispered back, gently pulling away to work on the rest of the room, sending streamers flying about with a carefree gesture of his well trained hands, using the same deft skill he would employ to send a card aloft.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Elsewhere in the house, Emma and Monet were working on wrapping the presents up when they heard a giggling from outside the door. Quickly they threw blankets over the packages, covering them up a moment before Bobby came in with his 'niece' in his arms, tickling her all the while. 

"See, they're not wrapping birthday presents are they?" Bobby asked, giving a wink to Emma. 

"Silly Unca Bobby." Jubilee giggled as she squirmed in his grasp. 

"Yup, that's me, Silly Unca Bobby." Bobby chuckled, giving her a spin about the room, a shoe flying free from her tiny foot and sailing into Monet's lap. 

"And what do I have here? A shoe? I think I might just have to keep it. It is such a lovely little shoe, don't you think Emma?" Monet asked, doing her best not to smile too much as to give away the jest. 

"Oh I would think so. It would absouletly look wonderful with that velvet dress of yours." Emma replied, joining in upon the jest. 

"Nope! My shoe." Jubilee replied defiantly. 

"Oh? Your shoe, well we'll just have to see shant we?" Monet asked as her and Emma rose, walking over to Jubilee and looking at her other shoe. 

"Well, it looks like the other one, what do you think Monet?" Emma asked. 

"I believe she is telling the truth. Let us put it back upon her foot, shall we?" Monet asked, as Emma snatched Jubilee from Bobby and tickled her, causing her little feet to kick as Monet tried in vain to put the shoe back on. 

Finally Monet found a light hold upon the toddlers foot and put the shoe back on, doing up the laces and setting her free. Emma walked out of the room with her, flanked by Monet and Bobby, then set her down upon the ground. Jubilee looked up to Emma, red faced from the tickling and out of breath. As Emma hunched over and wiggled her fingers threateningly, Jubilee squealed and ran off, followed by her 'Auntie' as Bobby and Monet went back to wrapping presents. 

The laughter carried through the house, reaching Rogue and Remy in the living room, smiles passing over their faces as they thought about the family they had created here. Emma visited often, always taking weekends off to come to her house in New Orleans. Bobby stayed there, having found a comfortable job as an accountant, while Monet and Warren enjoyed the peace and quiet offered from the mansion they had bought, using it as the distant seat of powers for Warren's financial Empire. 

"Three, Two, One..." Remy whispered, casting a sly look to his wife. 

"Mommieee!" Jubilee shrieked as Emma caught the toddler as she just entered the living room, tickling her once more. 

"Yes Sugah?" Rogue asked as she got up, holding the recently fixed 'Wolvie' doll. 

"Wolvie!" Jubilee called out, struggling to get free of Emma's grasp. 

"Yup, he healed up good didn't he?" Rogue inquired, taking her daughter into her arms and handing her the doll. 

"Dank 'ou Momma." Jubilee said as she curled up in her mother's arms, pulling the doll tightly to herself. 

"Your welcome Sugah. What say we go inta town while your Aunties and Uncles finish up here?" Rogue asked, casting a look to Emma, who gave a nod in return. 

"Ice cream?" Jubilee asked, looking up to Rogue and giving her a full out effort of puppy dog eyes. 

"Sure thang Sugah, C'mon Remy." Rogue remarked as she headed out to the garage. 

Remy gave a courtly bow to Emma, then a wink as he departed, knowing that the 'special' present had yet to arrive. Emma felt an odd tingling in her mind, almost as if someone was doing their best to hide a secret when they wished to tell all of it, casting a curious look to the retreating form of Remy, she gave a shrug and decided to go see how her cake was doing. Her private chef had made a pretty penny on actually teaching Emma how to cook and bake, and was indeed proud of the skill passed upon to the CEO and his employer.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Remy sat in the driver seat while Rogue fastened Jubilee into the car seat. Wolvie sat beside her on the seat, a seatbelt over him to humor her child's whim. Finally as she gently closed the van door, Rogue climbed in and buckled up. 

"Nevah thought Ah would see the day Remy LeBeau would drive a minivan." Rogue giggled as she tweaked her husband's ear. 

"Eh? Don go knocking de van. I been 'aving dis baby doing a good spee...." Remy began, defending the honor of his effort in finding a minvan that had all the saftey for his family, while too a strong engine in it for the days he was sent out to do the groceries. 

Remy felt the icy gaze of Rogue on him, knowing full well he would have to pay for this slip of his lips at a later date. Whistling to himself, he eased the van into reverse and backed out of the garage, turning about in the driveway and making his way into town, Jubilee giggling the entire time knowing that Daddy had 'goofed'.   
  
  


  
  
  


"Mint Chip Pwease." Jubilee asked kindly, looking up to the clerk of the ice cream shop, her smile beaming with the intesnity of a spotlight. 

"We're all out I'm afraid. I'll go look in the back. Hey Jerry, could you take care of the LeBeau's?" Thomas asked, having become all to accustomed to the family outings for ice cream, and the darling smiles Jubilee would give when he handed her a cone of her favorite ice cream, Mint Chip. 

Rogue and Remy placed their orders, casting glances down to their daughter as she looked up to the counter, lip trembling and eyes ready to shed tears. Moments later Thomas returned with a fresh tub of Mint Chip, setting it in the freezer and earning a squeal of delight from Jubilee as he opened up the tub. Turning away to get a waffle cone and a clean ice cream scoop, he turned back to find a shock. 

"Umm...Mrs. LeBeau...is Jubilee with you?" Thomas asked, pulling himself up on the counter and leaning over, thinking she might be playing a game with him. 

"What's that Thomas?" Rogue asked, looking over to him. 

"Is Jubilee with you?" He inquired once more, fear rising in his voice as he noticed the shock held in Rogue's emerald spheres. 

Rogue and Remy looked around frantically for their daughter and her yellow dress, looking in all the crannies of the shop as Thomas and Jerry joined them in the search. Customers looked around , curious what had befallen, and joining the search as they found out the terrible news. Finally as the truth dawned upon them, they realized that Jubilee was no longer in the shop. 

"She can't have gotten far Rogue, I'll go look down de street dat way, and you go this way." Remy said as he pointed to the north end of the street, then taking the south end himself. 

Thomas and Jerry ushered customers out, putting up a note on the shop and locking up, joining in the search as did many of the patrons. As the people split up, taking the various streets about the shop, the search began for the two year old Jubilation.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


They walked down the street with a casual air, taking in the sites as to kill time before the event that had drawn them to New Orleans. A lifetime had nearly passed in the time they had been apart, and the revelation had been utterly Earth shattering. But on this day, he had a very important date to keep for two special ladies, and it was a date that no force on Earth could prevent. With his comrade at his back, he walked about the shops, looking for that special gift to give. Looking into a shop window, looking down to the stuffed toys that sat quietly, he caught a flash of yellow in the window. Turning, a scream rang out and terror filled him as his eyes befell the form of a toddler walking out broadly into traffic, holding up a stuffed Wolverine. 

He and his comrade acted with the instinct honed over years of trials and pains. Leaping through the crowd, a feral roar rang out, sending people scattering clear as he lunged to the child, taking her into his arms as he rolled on the ashpalt, the sound of car tires squealing with the cry of a Banshee. Suddenly the sound of flesh slamming against metal was heard, a roar of effort rising as he turned to see his comrade standing against the car, his massive hands against the hood while he glowered with kinetic energy absorbed. The crowd stood in dead silence at the act of bravery and display of mutant powers to save the life of an innocent child. Then a cry came out of the crowd, a single word that shook him the the core, 'Jubilee' called out in pain and fear by a familiar voice.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Rogue heard the screams, the screeching tires and the sudden halt of a car. The crowd before her stood against her progress, though she did not act upon the instinct she wished to, longing to take to the air as to avoid the obsticle in her path. Trudging on, she made her way through the crowd, screaming her child's name, finally finding a break. Tumbling through, she spotted her daughter in the arms of a man, while another stood behind him next to the halted car. Blinded by fear, she raced to her daughter and pulled her from the mans arms, pulling Jubilee tight to her as she cried freely, thanking whoever had saved the life of her child. 

"Rogue?" A familiar voice asked weakly, a waiver heard. 

Rogue looked up, and fell back in shock, looking to the men before her. Crouched next to her, Logan sat, his eyes misty and confusion held deeply in them. Next to him Bishop stood, energy radiating from him as he slowly pulled the kinetic energy back into him, adding to his store for his Bioblasts. Rouge fell silent in that moment, the unexpected savior of her child being the man she had been longing to see for over a year since the truth of her daughets heritage. The silence was broken though, as Jubilee held out her 'Wolvie' doll to Logan, calling the name of her doll and looking up to her mother. 

"Wolvie?" Jubilee asked, looking from the doll and then to Logan. 

"Darlin'?" Logan asked in a broken voice, his nostrils flaring as he took a deep waft of the scents lingering about. 

From the crowd, Remy erupted, flanked by Thomas and Jerry. Remy stopped in his tracks as he looked to the scene before him, fear welling in him at the sight of a near disaster, yet relief at the sight of mother and daughter reunited. Looking to Logan and Bishop, a wry grin passed over his face while his eyes held a grateful expression. 

"You be early mon ami, de surprise be ruined." Remy whispered, walking over to Rogue and crouching next to her. 

Logan merely remained silent as Bishop guided him to his feet, Remy likely doing so with Rogue as the group left the scene, leaving behind the awe-struck people on the street to whatever had just befallen. Inside the car, the driver merely watched in shock and relief, crying as pain filled his chest at nearly taking the life of a innocent child. Staggering from his car, he walked to the curb and sat down, his keys dangling from his hands. As the group vanished down a corner, he looked about at the people looking to him with concerned looks. A bystander walked up to the man, a warm smile on their face as they offered to drive him home. Grateful, the man handed the keys over to the stranger, knowing that he would not have courage enough to attempt to drive hom after that incident. 

As they drove home, the passed the group, the driver slowing while the man looked out, mouthing a breathless 'I am so sorry', receiving a nod in return with a warm smile from Rogue, forgiveness given for what could have been a tragic accident. Jubilee merely smiled to the man, not knowing the err of her sudden crossing into trafic, bringing a fresh wave of tears from the man as the pain of nearly taking the life of such a little girl returned. Driving off down the street and into the setting sun, life slowly resumed it's normal pace as all made their way home.   
  
  



	6. Home Movies

Disclaimer : Marvel owns the X-men, I'm just borrowing them.   
  
  


Authors note : Well, with the threat of bodily harm *glare* *chuckle*, Chapter Six! Now, untie me from this chair, or there won't be a chapter seven! Nyah!   
  
  
Reborn   
  
  
Chapter Six : Home Movies   
  
  


"Ah am pushing!" Rogue's voice cried out, followed by a painful cry as her face twisted with pain. 

Logan watched the video in silent awe, speechless. In his lap, Jubilee slumbered, her 'Wolvie' doll held tightly to her chest, while Rogue and Remy sat curled upon the sofa, waiting patiently. As a new cry carried out beyond Rogue's own, the video angle changed to show the newborn Jubilation LeBeau, having her cord cut and then being wrapped in a blanket before carefully handed to the expectant mother. The doctor exclaimed with joy that it was a girl, but the reverly died quickly as shock fell over Rogue and her support group. As the camera quaked while Remy neared, the angle steadied once more, revealing a baby with Asian features and Sapphire blue eyes. Logan joined in the shock as Remy's voice whispered in shock. 

Pain filled Logan, revealing that once again he had missed out upon another moment of the X-men Family, running off to lick the wounds of his soul shortly after the funeral of Jubilation Lee. That ever most painful moment returned to Logan, the night Jean had found her way to his favorite place to meditate in the acreage outside the Westchester Estate of Charles Xavier. She silently stood behind Logan, waiting for a response from him, finding none. Fear and apprehension lingered in her scent, Logan giving a snort and taking in a waft, knowing that nothing good was coming of this. Turning, he gave Jean a concerned look. 

"Something wrong Jeannie?" Logan asked, raising an eyebrow to her worried look. 

"Logan...." Jean began, her eyes filling with tears. 

Logan slowly rose to his feet and walked over to her, pulling her into his arms and giving her a comforting hug. As he looked into her eyes, he saw not her own pain, but concern for him. Releasing her, he backed away slowly, awaiting whatever it was she needed to say. 

"Logan...I...I don't know how to tell you this..." Jean whispered, taking a pause for a calming breath. 

"Jubilee, she was heading to visit the Xtreme Team, as you know, in Australia. There..." Jean began, pausing once more as she choked up with emotion, Logan staring at her with dread fear in his eyes. 

"Spit it out darlin'" Logan growled, his imagination getting the best of him as his mind returned to how he failed her before, unwittingly leaving her behind in the depraved hands of Bastion, his only redemption coming as he saved her from the Prime Sentinels during her trial through the desert. 

"Logan, Jubilee has been killed...Rogue found her. They believe it was the ARM, using the roster of the X-corps that had been stolen to track down their members." Jean suddenly blurted out, falling to her knees as she became overcome with grief. 

As Jean finally found control of herself, she looked up to Logan's steel blue eyes, a distant look in them, staring off into the dark heart of the woods they stood in, emotionless in that moment. Suddenly though, in an eruption of anger, something flashed in those eyes, something not quite human, and in that moment Logan ran into the dark night as a feral howl rang out in pain. The howl carrying deep into the depths of that place in the human soul few dared venture to, the place where the dark fears of the wild jungles of prehistory sat, waiting for their time once more, when the campfires flickered out of existance, and humanity fell a link on the food chain. 

Logan's mind returned to the present, finding Jubilee staring up at him, a sad expression held on her face. Ever so carefully she held her 'Wolvie' doll up to Logan, bumping its nose against his. Confusion and tears welled in his eyes, looking into those same eyes that had held such wonder and vitality in another, yet now were set to a two year old ghost of his old partner. Cracking a smile on his chiseled features, he suddenly realized the second chance he had so prayed for, promising everything he could, had been granted. Lifting Jubilee up, he left the pain in the back of his mind, now reveling in the joy of having her back, and the honor of being her Godfather. Jubilee squealed, stiring her parents from their spot on the sofa as they looked to the scene before them, a warm feeling falling over their hearts, knowing that a birthday gift they had longed to give her had finally been granted.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Bishop sat outside the dock of the LeBeau household, looking out to the night sky, his gaze lingering on the countless stars of the heavens, infinite worlds unto them all, infinite possiblities for each, countless lives oblivious to the goings on of one blue speck in the spiral arm of the Milky Way. With a sigh he finally accepted the fate of the future he came from, knowing it to no longer be on the path he walked. Everything had changed in his time, and in this moment, yet another change had occured. The Last X-man was now a toddler, the strand of time unraveling before his very eyes once more, akin to the moment when he found the true betrayer of the X-men to be Xavier himself, as the being Onslaught. 

"Hey Bish, nice night huh?" Bobby asked, walking up to the timelost X-man. 

"Indeed." Bishop remarked stoically, his gaze remaining distant. 

Bobby looked to Bishop, an aura of conflict radiating from him. He had so many questioned he longed to ask, yet couldn't find the will to air them. He had drawn the shortest of the straws, becoming the sacrifical goat sent to question Bishop of his journey from that day on which they had left to travel to New Orleans. The letters Rogue had shared with them all had come from every corner of the globe, and they had inadvertently started a stamp collection for Jubilee with the postage paid to have the letters arrive. Whether or not she would care for it was entirely another matter though. 

"What's on your mind Drake?" Bishop asked, pulling a cigar and uncharacteristically lighting up, smoke wafting into the night sky. 

"Well, on that note, when did you start smoking?" Bobby asked, raising a curious eyebrow to the sight of Bishop indulging a vice, showing a hint of humanity under the facade of the eternal warrior. 

"That's another tale entirely, and a tale I do not feel comfortable discussing on this day." Bishop remarked in a flat tone, the warrior returning. 

"Fine. I can respect that. Can I ask where you found Logan?" Bobby asked, taking a seat next to Bishop on the dock. 

Bishop paused, taking a haul off the cigar and letting the smoke linger about his mouth, as if a foreboding fog to a mysterious cave, holding secrets not meant for mortal ears. Exhaling, the fog drifted and disappated, while Bishop collected his thoughts. Bobby watched, waiting paitently, the sudden desire for a couple brews to share between friends rising. As Bishop turned back to Bobby, the desire faded, when meeting the gaze held in Bishop's eyes. 

"I was in Mongolia, following tales of a demon warrior fighting along side a group of nomads. These people hadn't heard of mutants, and held his powers to be of cursed natures. But they did not condemn him, but instead accept him. They saw he was tortured, and took him to be one of their own. I'll not say beyond that, as it is a personal matter for Logan and myself." Bishop remarked, pausing to take another haul of the cigar. 

Bobby looked to Bishop, remaining silent. For him to hold a matter on a personal level spoke of volumes of what must have occured, and knew that if it were to be known by him, it would be known in due time, and only when both men were ready to relate the tales. Rising slowly, he started to walk back to the house, pausing as he heard Bishop rise. 

"Joining the rest of us?" Bobby asked, turning around. 

"Was actually going to ask if you knew of a decent bar around here." Bishop remarked, cracking a grin as he pulled his cowboy hat down over his eyes, the M standing out as his eyes glowed with stored energy. 

"K, take this day down, few and far between is it when I actually see you even crack the slightest emotion aside from stoic anger. Ya were worse than ol' Cyke fer that." Bobby remarked with a grin, waving Bishop on as they walked off to the garage.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Jubilee lay slumbering on the bed, while Rogue sat in the old rocking chair, asleep and clutching Jubilee's 'Wolvie' doll, keeping him safe against the monsters under her bed, and in her closet. Sitting in the bay window, looking out to the night, Remy watched as Bobby and Bishop took off in the spare Jeep, heading to parts unknown. Sighing, he settled down with his arms crossed, fighting the urge to light up a cigarette. Times like this were the hardest, yet for his family he had quit, and it was a promise that he had placed his 'Thieves Honor' upon. Even Logan had to be scooted out into the sunporch if he dared even reach for a cigar. A wry grin fell over his face as he recalled the look on Logan's face as Jubilee scrunched her nose, pointing to the cigar with her little finger, then pointing out to the sunporch as she would her Grandpapa LeBeau. 

Looking back to the doorway, he smiled as he saw two shadows lingering on the wall, stretching down from beyond the doorway. Creeping from his position, he peered out, finding two unlikely people sitting side by side on the landing, whispering and laughing together. Godfather and Godmother sat together, two enemies of old brought together by one child once more. Emma had never really approved of Logan, nor Logan of her. Yet now, in this peaceful moment during the dead of night, old feuds were set aside as whispered tales were passed, of the firecracker they both knew and loved. 

Remy knew it was the beginning of a long journey for Logan, healing from the pain caused by Jubilee's death, a final straw that had sent him away from their family for over two years, no letters passed in the dead of night, no promises of return. Smiling, Remy was suddenly reminded of Jubilee's first steps, uncertain and clumsy at first, but soon filled with grace as confidance came. If Logan were to stumble, they would be there for him, as they had been there for Jubilee, helping her back onto her feet, and easing the pain of a mistep taken.   
  
  



	7. Dark Horizons

Disclaimer : Marvel owns the X-men, I'm just borrowing them.   
  
  


Author's note : Okay, I don't now jack about police procedure, so just deal with it, K, though should anyone with such knowledge read this, an email with correct procedure would be appreciated that I might correct the err. Thanks! 

Author's Thanks to you : Thank you all for the reviews, they just make me all warm and fuzzy inside! And no that isn't the heartburn!   
  
  
Reborn   
  
  
Chapter Seven : Dark Horizons   
  
  


"Do it again!" Jubilee cried, clutching her 'Wolvie' doll to her chest. 

"No." Logan replied gruffly, Remy and Rogue snickering behind him. 

"Again!" Jubilee cried, adding a defiant air to her voice, her bottom lip sticking out. 

"I said no Darlin', an' I mean no." Logan replied, adding a commanding tone to his voice. 

A mischievious twinkle filled Jubilee's eye, a glint that Logan had seen many a time before in Remy's eyes during countless Danger Room sessions and battles where he was about to pull an ace from his sleeve. Logan had thought he knew Jubilee well enough, though he never had to deal with a two year old version of the teenager he had grown to love like a daughter. Realization hit him too late as Jubilee filled her lungs, belting out a fierce scream that caused great pain to Logan's heightened senses. In a futile attempt to silence the toddler for a moment to reason with her, he clamped a hand over her mouth only to be bitten. 

"For flaming crying out loud!" Logan cried, pulling his hand back and then covering his ears. 

"Jubilee hon! Quit screaming!" Rogue yelled, earning silence from her daughter who merely looked to Logan smugly. 

Logan looked to Jubilee, letting a growl rumble from his chest, yet as with her former self, she only giggled at his attempt to appear fierce. With a sigh, he swallowed his pride and took in a breath, while Jubilee squealed with delight knowing she had won, waiting to join in as the first verse was sung. 

"I'm a little Wolvie"  
"Short and Stout"  
"When I loose my handle"  
"I scream and shout"  
"When I get all steamed up"  
"Ya better watch out"  
"Cause it'll be over"  
"Soon as the claws pop out!"  


Jubilee squealed with delight afterwards as she jumped up and hugged Logan, while Remy and Rogue snickered. They knew they still had to work on Jubilee's biting habit, but figured that Jubilee would probably find out soon enough from Logan that his patience wore thing quickly, and that her little tricks would not work. Heading back to the firepit, Remy checked on the hotdogs, while Rogue tended to the pitcher of Lemonade needing to be made. From over the hill, Emma and Bobby soon emerged, with a colourful pair of figures following, known to all as Artie and Leech. 

"Jubilee!" Leech cried, running up to the toddler who ran as fast as her short legs could carry her. 

Leech picked up Jubilee and spun her around, having grown from the thirteen year old boy to a strapping seventeen year old youth. Artie made a psonic holographic image of the toddler Jubilee, wearing a yellow trench coat and fireworks streaming from her hands, earning a giggle for his effort. Emma and Bobby smiled, then ushered their wards back to the picnic that had been arranged. Monet and Warren still had yet to arrive, bringing a few others of the X-men who would be able to attend the family picnic that had been planned for today. 

"And how is my Goddaugther this day?" Emma asked, taking Jubilee from Leech who then grabbed Artie and ran off to arrange a game of football. 

"Am fine! Unca Wolvie sang Am a little Wolvie!" Jubilee squealed, earning a big smile from Emma as she found a new taunt for Logan. 

"He did, did he? Oh, did Daddy get that on video tape?" Emma inquired, tickling Jubilee before sitting down on the picnic table. 

"Not dat Logan know it, but check in de tree when he not be looking, you be finding a toy dat dis t'ief hid there." Remy remarked from the firepit, a wry grin on his face. 

"Your price Mr. LeBeau?" Emma inquired. 

"Dat you babysit Jubilee tonight. Her mommy and I got some catching up ta do, if you be knowing what I mean." Remy replied, Rogue turning a lovely shade of red while letting thoughts of the lingerie drift out freely for the telepathic Emma Frost to catch. 

"Oh it would be my pleasure, do have a good time. You hear that Jubilee? You get to stay with Auntie Emma and Unca Bobby tonight, as well as with Cousins Artie and Leech." Emma announced, Jubilee letting out a cheer, knowing that Emma would spoil her rotten. 

During this exchange, Logan quickly walked off with the boys, challenging either of them to a game of football, needing something to take his mind off of 'I'm a little Wolvie', while too not being able to just rid off to the nearest bar and beat up the first stooge that decided to think they were man enough to take on 'The Short, Hairy Guy'. What Logan soon realized during the game was that Leech had come along way since his youth, using his mutation to his full advantage by disabling Logan's enhanced senses, which in turn left Logan disorientated. Artie passed plays to Leech when Logan had his back turned, allowing the boys came out on top, while leaving Logan finding a bar brawl was even more appealing. 

"De soup, it be on! Come and get it!" Remy called out, bringing a plate full of hotdogs and hamburgers to the table, while Rogue carried a tray of toasted buns. 

As the extended family sat down for dinner, the sun slowly set off in the distance, unveiling a night of fireworks for the Fourth of July, marshmallow roasting, stories, songs, and star gazing. In the end the couples broke off, laying down on blankets and enjoyed the peaceful moment, while the LeBeau's merely enjoyed watching as Jubilee slept form the days activities. Artie and Leech took to exploring the heavens with the telescope Hank brought when he eventually showed up, tutoring them on their astoromy. Finally as fatigue fell over the group like an encompasing shroud, the familes headed to their homes.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Logan woke up with a kink in his neck, and an annoyed expression as he found himself in a bed with frilly comforters and lace pillows. Darting out of the bed, he recalled the night prior and with a sigh of relief he recalled he had joined Emma and Bobby, returning to their home that Rogue and Remy might enjoy a quiet evening alone. Stumbling from the room in his boxers, he made his way down to the kitchen, following the rich aroma of coffee. Mid way though, he heard an odd, yet familiar noise. Singing. Listening closer, he found to his horror, it was his singing. 

Racing to the living room, any thought of coffee dispelled by the sheer horror of the nightmares that twisted through his mind, he found Emma sitting in a rocking chair with Jubilee in her lap, watching the television. Looking to the screen, he caught a wink from Emma as she rewound the tape to the mind numbing scream Jubilee had cried out to gain his compliance. 

"I'm a little Wolvie."  
"Short and Stout."  
"When I loose my..."  


Suddenly blessed silence fell, while Logan's face grew red as he looked to the former White Queen of the Hellfire club. Upon her pristine lips, a quirked smile rested as Jubilee sung to herself, oddly enough bringing a smile to his lips as the wheels in his head slowly worked without the blessed coffee to grease them. 

"How?" Logan asked. 

"Am a little Wolvie!" Jubilee cried, looking to Logan and imitating popping claws, then slashing at imaginary foes. 

"I have my means. Such a lovely copy don't you think? Oh I do wish I could be there when Charles recieves the original." Emma remarked, tickling her Goddaughter, who in return growled at her, sounding more like a kitten snoring. 

Logan paled as he thought of Scott finding the video in the mail, playing it immediatly and bursting out into laughter, sending copies over the internet to the extended X-familes of the world. While they all knew he had a soft spot, he had gone his entire life without singing a single nusery rhymn, let alone one in which he was the main focus. Any holiday from this day forth, with the exception being any from an invation to a LeBeau gathering, would be promptly avoided from this day forth, knowing all too well a chorus of X-people singing 'I'm a little Wolvie' would greet him at his arrival. 

"Yer evil." Logan growled, then walked off to the kitchen. 

"Is Auntie Emma Evil?" Emma inquired of Jubilee with a smile, ticking her and recieving a giggled yes for her effort. 

"Auntie Emma Evil!" Jubilee cried out, Logan yelling his agreement from the kitchen. 

"Good, because being too nice is droll and boring. And Auntie Emma will have to teach you that." Emma giggled, kissing Jubilee on her forehead as she set the toddler down. 

"So long as you don't get her into that whole 'Eurobondage Fetish' of yours, I don't care." Bobby remarked with a smile as he leaned against the door, promptly getting attacked by 'The little Wolvie', immediatly feigning injury for her effort. 

"You haven't complained yet Robert." Emma retorted with a sly smile as Bobby got 'clawed' by Jubilee. 

"Hey! What we do in our own bedroom isn't anyone elses business!" Bobby cried out as Jubilee bounced on him, tickling him as Logan walked back from the kitchen. 

"Ya better keep it that way popsicle." Logan remarked gruffly as he patted Jubilee on her head, taking to sitting on the sofa and turning off the video. 

"Emma!" Leech cried out from the foyer, drawing the attention of all in the room. 

Bobby picked up Jubilee, starting to walk towards the foyer, only to be haulted as a thought from Emma asked him to wait in the living room. As she got up and walked to the foyer, drawing her robe tight about herself, she was greeted with the sight she had picked up from the mind of Leech, two officers with grim expressions upon their faces. As she neared, she shooed away Leech, who returned a defiant look to the curious glances from the Officers. 

"Miss Emma Frost?" The taller female officer asked, while the shorter male took a few steps back. 

"How might I help you?" Emma inquired, hiding the sense of dread that threatened to fill her voice with the brief images that flashed through the officers unrestrained thoughts. 

"Is there a Jubilation LeBeau in your custody?" The officer asked, looking weary. 

"Yes, might I inquire what this is about?" Emma inquired further. 

"Early this morning there was a fire at the LeBeau household. I'm...I'm afraid I must inform you that neither occupants survived the inferno. At this point it looks like arson, though that will be up for the fire chief to decide upon. At this point, we would like to place a cruiser out front just to keep an eye out, incase this is..." The officer paused, looking to Leech. 

"A Mutant Hate Crime?" Emma finished, earning a nod from the officer, while too picking up on honest sympathy and only eager curiosity towards Leech's mutant status. 

"Were there bodies recovered?" Emma inquired, drawing upon an icy exterior to hold for the time, until the tears that threatened to overtake her melted it. 

"Yes, we will need someone to identify them of course." The officer remarked, earning a weak nod from Emma. 

"I shall have Logan go, he was a close friend of theirs, and is the Godfather of Jubilation." Emma replied, her icy exterior faltering as a single tear rolled down her cheek. 

"I am dreadfully sorry for having to bring such news. Your family has my condolances." The officer replied, then leaving as Emma gave a nod and slowly shut the door. 

Emma quickly passed on the information, leaving Artie and Leech to amuse Jubilee while the adults tended to the matters at hand. Logan raced to his room, quickly getting dressed, anger and rage threatening to overtake him, yet needing to know the truth before he let it happen. He knew Emma had chosen him for a reason, that his enhanced senses could pick up any sign of deception in this horrid act. As he returned moments later, throwing on his cowboy boots, he found Jubilee standing in the hallway, a sad expression on her face. 

"Unca Wolvie, why Auntie Emma sad?" Jubilee asked, and in that moment Logan realized that Emma was leaking her emotions to the household. 

"Yer Unca Wolvie is sure as heck gonna find that out Darlin'. Now play nice with yer cousin's till I get back, 'n I'll take ya out fer ice cream." Logan replied, hiding his anger from one that did not need see it. 

"Mint chip pwease?" Jubilee asked, her eyes growing large. 

"O' course Darlin'." Logan whispered as he got down on a knee, pulling Jubilee into a hug as tears of his own threatened to take hold at the innocent expression in her sapphire blue eyes. 

Silently Logan got up and walked to the door, turning back to find Jubilee standing in the hallway, waving to him as Artie and Leech stood over her, sad expressions on their faces. Giving the trio a nod, he walked out the door and made his way to his Harley, driving off into the rising sun. 


	8. Truth Be Told

Disclaimer : Marvel owns the X-men, I'm just borrowing them.   
  
  


Author's Note : Okay, you can untie me now, I got the next chapter out. Hello! Anyone? I need to go pee!   
  
  
Reborn   
  
  
Chapter 8 : Truth be Told   
  
  


Logan looked down to the burnt corpse, taking in a whiff of their scent. A growl rumbled from his chest, causing the medical examiner to back away, while the Officer placed a hand on Logan's shoulder. With a glance, Logan had the hand falling away as he walked to the next table, looking to the equally burnt corpse. Another sniff, and the growl grew in volume. 

"It ain't them." Logan rumbled. 

"But the dental records show it to be one Remy LeBeau and Rogue LeBeau." The examiner protested. 

"Listen ta me bub, I said it ain't them, and it ain't them. And as fer you Miss Huston, ya better get out there doin' yer job, before ya even try ta tell me it's just cause I lost two very close friends, as those people lyin' on the slabs there ain't them." Logan growled before he stalked off, heading out to the parking lot and pausing to take in the scents. 

"Ya here ta raise trouble, as I'm in a finiky mood, don't want trouble but won't turn it away if it ain't smart enough to leave me alone." Logan growled as he turned to a shadow, meeting glowing red eyes, though slowly they vanished into the abyss. 

Logan gave a snort and then climbed onto his bike, riding off back to the Frost Estate, while his thoughts lingered on the revelation and the peace of mind gained from knowing that for a second time Jubilee wouldn't be an orphan. Who would set up this elaborate hoax, and for what purpose. The apperance of 'Him' didn't make matters any more settling, but that would have to be tended to at a later time, as the corpses didn't carry the stench that 'His' dealings always did, so for now the crime was by the hands of another. 

As Logan raced down the roadways, he looked about, families enjoying the bright sunny day, and the warm breeze that blew through the trees, a silent whisper of nature that could sooth Logan on his worst days. He had to get back and let them all know the truth, so that they could prepare. There was no way in Hell that Logan was going to put Jubilee through the loss of her parents again, and not Apocalypse himself could stand in his way this time.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Rogue awoke with a pain rushing through her head, as if her mind was being pulled forcefully from her nose. Coughing, she stumbled to her knees and opened her eyes, only to find darkness. Anger rose as the memories flitted before her minds eye, images of the lovemaking session she had with Remy, having been trying for another child whenever they could find time away from Jubilation, which wasn't all that hard with all the willing Aunts and Uncles the family had adopted. Suddenly though, as if they had been watched the entire time, as the pair climaxed, and explosion ripped their room, sending them tumbling from their bed. 

Before them a group of mercenaries stood, weapons drawn and a strange device the size of a briefcase at one of their feet. As Rogue tried to lunge at them with a burst of sonic speed, she tumbled over the bed and fell, with Remy quickly joining her at her side. As he pulled her into his arms, the sounds of guns being cocked brought his attention to the threat at hand. A man pulled a strange gun out, with all of the others covering their mouths with masks. Suddenly a blast of mist, and then darkness as their minds drifted into the void. 

As Rogue slowly pulled her mind back to the here and now, she became aware of what felt like a choker on her neck. Running a hand across it, she felt a metalic covering on it, and with further probing, found what felt like a tiny circuit on it. Sighing, she tried to summon upon her plasmoids, yet to no avail as the truth came to her, that it was a new form of a Genosha Collar. Slumping down in the corner, she found it was already occupied as a muffled groan rang out. 

"Chere, next time we make love, you be t'inking you be a little gentler on Remy?" Remy whispered, his mind still clouded. 

"Remy, it wasn't Ah that got ya feelin' like yer day old gumbo." Rogue whispered, pulling him into her arms. 

"Oh, right, de baddies." Remy hissed, still too weak to express the rage he felt with more than words. 

"So, how we gonna get outta here Sugah?" Rogue asked, planting a kiss on Remy's matted hair. 

"If I have ta tear dis place apart brick by brick chere, we be finding a way out, but dat will 'ave to wait until Remy finds out where dey put his stomach." Remy whispered, hurling himself to his feet and running to where he caught sight of what looked like a toilet, relieving his nausea.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Logan pulled up to the Frost Estate and froze, looking to the door he found it smashed off the hinges, while smoke began billowing from an upstairs bedroom. Racing in, he found Leech and Artie slowly regaining consciousness. Running up the stairs, he barked for the boys to get out of the house. Looking around, the scent of smoke and gasoline grew stronger, as did the rage building. Whatever was going on, he didn't like it. Taking another sniff as he raced to the master bedroom, fear clenched his heart as he found Jubilee's scent growing weaker. As he slammed against the door, he found Bobby and Emma on the bed, frantic expressions on their eyes as they were bound to the bed, with flames flickering about the room. Unsheathing his claws with the ever-familiar 'Snikt', he cut them free and pulled away the gag. 

"They took Jubilee!" Emma screamed, clutching to Logan as sobs wracked her frame. 

Time froze in that instant, Logan feeling his heart explode with Berserker rage. Fighting for control, Logan leapt through the window and ran away from the house, knowing that the rage that built within him was far more deadly than the housefire that threatened the Frost Estate. As his vision clouded with red, a single soiltary scent caught his attention as the beast took hold, Jubilee. Racing off into the early morning, he didn't even pay heed to the sound of fire engines as he vanished down an alleyway, on the hunt. 

Back at the Frost Estate, Emma and Bobby raced to the front where Artie and Leech stood, frantic expressions on their faces as a crowd formed around them. Emma felt the minds suddenly assault her own as the field of the briefcase the attackers had left was breached, her powers returning. Fear and hate rang out clear, accusing thoughts claiming the fire to be due to the 'Muties'. As Emma walked to her wards, she pulled them under her arms and shot the crowd a look of utter malice, perfected over the years. The urge to use their own hate against them rose, as the psi waves flickered out, the closet to her backing away unwittingly. The anger faded as she felt the reassuring hand of her fiance on her shoulder, and with a look to his icy blue eyes, it vanished. Ever the dreamer, she thought, as Bobby put out the flames with a thought, constantly covering the room in frost until they flickered out. 

"Mutie freaks!" A man from the crowd called, igniting a new wave of hate. 

As the crowd drew closer to the gates of the Frost Estate, a single gunshot silenced them, the bark of a police siren drawing away their attention. Looking past the crowd, a smile crept over Emma's face as the form of Officer Huston appeared, a look that could rival any of her own upon her hardened features. Soon another squad car pulled up, other officers pulling out and barking at the crowd to stand clear that the nearing fire engine could have admittance. The Police Force of New Orleans were all to used to usual sights in their city, and knew after many a year of the Madi Gras that humans were far more often the threat than the misunderstood mutants. 

As Emma and Bobby ushered the boys through the crowd, keeping a watchful gaze on any possible threats to their wards, Officer Huston made note of the missing Jubilation Lee and of the enigmatic Logan. With a few words to her peers, she sped off into the rising sun, listening to the radio for any possible sightings of the man, an unknowing sense that if she found him, she would find the child.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Rouge and Remy sat in the cell, having spent an exhausting few hours looking for any sign of weakness to no avail. They wouldn't give up though, as they had all the reason in the world waiting from them on the outside. The sudden sound of metal slamming against metal rang out, then accented by the sound of a chain pulling against a pulley broke the silence. Rogue froze in that moment, something familiar tingling against the back of her mind. Jumping to her feet, she slammed against the door, looking for purchase to peer from the bars and see what their captors were doing. What she found made her blood run cold, while a frozen anger locked her in place. 

"I want my Mommieeeee!" Jubilee cried out, Remy soon jumping to his feet and sending a volley of kicks and punches at the door. 

"I kill you!" Remy cried out, his knuckles growing bloodied as his assault carried on. 

"If there will be any killing, it will be of you LeBeau!" A harsh voice rang out. 

"If ya hurt mah baby, Ah'll tear you apart so slowly, that Logan would feel squeamish!" Rogue cried out, a sudden flash of hot rage thawing the cold anger that she felt. 

"Oh don't worry, we'll be treating your baby real well. We didn't get our revenge when you came back to town LeBeau, but we'll have it now as we raise your child as our own!" The man called out, against the cries of the young Jubilee. 

As the shadows passed by their cell, Remy and Rogue collapsed into a heap, Remy puling Rogue close to him as he comforted her wails of pain. The sound of doors slamming called out again, as Jubilee's frantic cries were silenced. They lost track of how long they sat there, but they knew a lifetime of tears had been shed, and fresh cuts against their souls bled freely until time could heal them.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


When the red faded, Logan found himself outside a warehouse on the edge of New Orleans, the scent of Jubliee still strong. The last thought he recalled was Emma's frantic cry, the truth that Jubilee had been kidnapped like her parents. Now he sat and watched, a predatory glint in his eyes as his senses extended to the range that only were possible when the beast bordered on his conscious mind, not holding it back, but riding with it in the wild like he had once done with the wolves of Northern Canada. He was not quite human anymore, humanity having crept to the caves with their fires to scare away the predators of the prehistoric nights. No, he now joined the predators of those nights, turning his back on the warmth of the fires. 

Suddenly the scent of car exhaust filled his nostrils, a stinging pain as he growled in contempt. Looking back, he saw a squad car pulling off into a wooded ditch, hidden from view. Stalking off into the underbrush, Logan approached the interloper, intent on finding out which side they were on, and eliminating them had they chosen wrong. As he grew closer, the face he saw was familiar, yet with the beast clouding his mind, he couldn't recall from where. Waiting silently, the woman crept from the car and looked around. Shock and fear fell over her face, and Logan realized that she had spotted him. Creeping slowly out, he walked up to her and sniffed. 

"Whyyy...areeee...yoo...heaarrhgh..." Logan growled, fighting for control. 

Officer Huston stood frozen, looking down to a beast that appeared half human. Looking closer, a cry of shock fell from her as she recognized the features mixed within the beast before her, the man named Logan who had been sent to identify the bodies. Kneeling down to him, she placed a gentle hand on his face, a growl growing for his efforts. 

"Same reason your here, to save the LeBeaus. I don't think Jean-Luc would like it much if I failed with the money he pays me to keep out of Guild business." Huston said, casting a glance to the warehouse. 

"Friend..." Logan growled, then bounded off to the warehouse, claws unsheathed as Huston quickly followed pace, opting for a Bo staff and plasma pistol rather than the weak trappings of the Force.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Rogue and Remy sat in their cell, pushing away any emotions that would cloud their minds from their first task, escape. If it wasn't for the blasted collar, Rogue could merely kick the offending door clear over into the next county. But for now, they were powerless. The blasted technology that had stolen their powers and left them utterly human. Then a though stuck Rogues mind. 

"These damn things don't make us not Mutants right Remy? Just inhibit our powers?" Rogue whispered, looking down to her husband as he laid staring at the ceiling. 

"Oui. As de Cookie Monster would say, dey cannot take it away, for de Law of De Conservation of Energy state that energy cannot be destroyed, only change state." Remy remarked, recalling the countless hours of lectures he had inadverntly sat in on while seeking the solitude of Hank's lab. 

"So, then we still have our powers then. These damn things are just makin' it like we're spittin' inta the wind. Keeps comin' back at us." Rogue remarked. 

"Roguey, you going wit dis where I t'inkin' you be going?" Remy asked. 

Rouge fell silent as she drew upon her anger and rage, drawing upon every ill or injustice that had ever fallen upon her during her life. Her initial mutation, cutting her off from a Normal life. Mystique finding her, only to manipulate her into stealing the mind and powers of Miss Marvel. Her betrayal of the Brotherhood and joining the X-men, only to receive suspicious glances for years to come. The battles with Carol as they fought for control of one body, the other X-men obviously enjoying her more than Rogue, despite the penance she had paid. Her blood boiled as her stomach grew tight, ever adding more to the ball of anger. As she threatened upon crying out in anguish, Rogue drew the final bit to the fuse, a single sharp cry, 'I want my Mommy!'. 

Remy was thrown against the wall at the resulting explosion, falling limply to the ground. Looking up in shock, he saw Rogue glowing with utter malice and an aura of plasma that shifted through the colours of Jubilee's paffs that they had all been familiar with. Now, as he found his way to his feet, he found himself staring at the possible extent of her powers, had her own compassionate heart not kept control over them for fear of hurting anyone. With a glance from Rogue, his own collar erupted in an explosion, the very matter detonated on the Sub-Molecular level. As he felt his eyes glaze over with the red on black of his gift, his sight grew sharp as he lead the way, mother and father intent on getting their daughter back.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Logan and Huston paused as they neared the warehouse, an explosion sounding out from deep within. Logan quickly did away with the door, barreling through the corridors and sending whoever stepped before him to the ground with wounds ranging from fatal to merely crippling. As Huston followed, she slowly picked out the familiar faces of the Assassin Guild, knowing all to have been expelled and finally having sought their revenge. As a man came from a corridor, she spun around and slammed the end of her Bo staff to his family jewels, a shattering scream erupting from him as he toppled. Looking ahead, she held her ground, ensuring that the LeBeaus and Logan had a way to escape. 

As Logan made his way deeper into the warehouse, he found the scents of the family growing stronger. Looking ahead, he spotted a pair of burly men before a set of double steel doors. While it looked sturdy enough, nothing could withstand the fury of a man with Adamantium claws. As the guards noticed the bestial form bounding towards them, shots were fired as flesh was torn from bone. But it did not stop them as Logan leaped up, and in that final moment the beast bucking it's rider from it's back, lashing out in feral fury at the offending tree dwellers, the tool makers of the jungles, the Humans. 

As Logan roused from the rage, finding grip upon the husk of the neck of his own personal beast, he viewed the carnage with cold eyes, knowing that he had done far worse over the years for even less reason. Slashing away at the doors, he leapt in to find a new battle raging as the LeBeaus stood back to back with their daughter protected underneath them, anger and fury fueling them a they fought against the tens of opponents that assaulted them. As Jubilee noticed Logan, a single phrase passed her lips, loud enough for him to hear, 'Unca Wolvie!'. Pulling the beast into a choke hold, man and beast fought for control in the wilds of Logan's mind, with any offender daring interrupt the battle being slashed away by instinct alone. 

Rouge and Remy paid little heed to the man who had come to their rescue, having gone to the trouble of finding their own freedom. Now the personal vendetta had to be paid, for even daring to touch their daughter. With the little control of their anger they had, they ensured they didn't kill any of the scum, leaving them for the Guilds to clean up. Disgraced vermin of the City of New Orleans, slandering the honorable names of the Guilds were dealt with by all in a swift manner, honor the only thing that kept all out war from destroying what they had made over the years. Finally as they found purchase for a flight to freedom, Remy grabbed Jubilee, who in turn was picked up by Rogue as she sped off down the corridor, leaving Logan to deal with whatever might dare follow.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


At Huston's feet a dozen men were strewn, unconscious after their attacks upon her. There had been a reason she was so well in the Thieves Guild's pocket, that being her former membership. She had wanted to do more for the city she loved, and for the efforts of keeping the Force out of Guild business, she had been allowed to leave with her honor. Now once more repaying the debt, she knew Jean-Luc would reward her well for this assistance with his children. Looking down the corridor, she could see Rouge and Remy flying towards them, with the crying Jubilation in the Cajun' charmers arms. A warm smile passed over her lips as she ran out with them, directing them to the cruiser that had awaited them. 

"Huston!" Remy called out as they reached the cruiser. 

"De one and only Remy! God it feels good ta have de accent back after having ta hide it from de Force. And dis be Grand papa LeBeau's pride, non?" Huston asked, looking down to the still crying Jubilee. 

"Oui, she be crying dat we left her 'Wolvie' behind. She don believe us when we say dat he be alright." Remy replied, bouncing Jubilee as Huston put the car into gear and sped off back to New Orleans, putting in a call about an attack by Sabertooth at the warehouse. 

"De Kitty cat was in town here a year ago, de Force found him a bit harsh ta deal with after he got drunk and started a rampage. You remember dat non? Was de night Jean-Luc called ya into de Guild to protect ya." Huston called back, earning a nod from Remy. 

"What 'appened ta him?" Remy inquired. 

"Lets just say dat de Assassin Guild scared him outta town." Huston called back, earning a smile from Remy. 

"Ah want mah 'Wolvie'!" Jubilee pouted, taking on her mothers accent as she did when she pouted. 

"Ah know ya do Sugah, but he'll be coming home before ya know it." Rogue replied. 

"About your home...." Huston remarked, trailing off.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Remy sat under the tree, watching as red haze off in the distance faded, while a dark shroud fell over the city. Looking down to his hands, he sighed with disgust when he found a cigarette gingerly held between his fingers, smoke gently rising into the night. He made a note to fess up to this brake of his personal promise, and would gladly accept Jubilee scolding him as a 'Bad Daddy' as she often did when Rogue got after him. But that could wait until he finished this one cigarette, calming his nerves after the horrid past two days. His family life had been turned upside down, and his home burnt to the ground. Remarkably enough, Jubilee's 'Wolvie' doll had been left outside with her swing set, probably all to easily comforted by the real 'Wolvie'. Looking to the doll in his lap, he smiled. 

"Good Evening Mr. LeBeau." A voice called out from the shadows, shivers running down Remy's spin at the familiar tone. 

"What do you want?" Remy asked, looking to the shadows and finding a set of red eyes greeting his own. 

"To say I am glad you and your family lived. After all I've invested, I would become very angry to see all that thrown into the wind." The man replied, the eyes taking on a sadistic twinkle. 

Remy stood frozen, looking to the man who was his own personal demon, fears that he would forever haunt him until his death, and beyond. Finally finding purchase against the fears, he rose and closed the distance between himself and the man. 

"What do you mean?" Remy asked, the cigarette taking on a glow of kinetic energy as the ember died. 

"You never questioned how Rogue had that child did you? Ignorance is bliss, is it not? She is yours though, you can be proud of that. I have waited a long time for her to absorb the right mind, and with it the genetic sequence. The nanite did the rest." The man remarked, taking pleasure as Remy's face paled. 

Remy stood frozen, the implications running through his mind as anger rose. Finally as he found control of himself, he sent the shadows a hate filled glance before turning away to walk to the Frost Estate. 

"Leave my family alone!" Remy yelled as he broke into a dash for the house, needing to be near them, protecting them from the demons of his past. 

The figure stood there, watching as Remy ran and finally reached the door, pulling it open and busting into the house as it slammed shut. A smile crept over his lips in that moment, as he slowly faded into the shadows, with only one last phrase braking the silence of the still night. 

"Say goodnight to my Granddaughter." The voice whispered, the figure vanishing finally.   
  
  



	9. Visit to the Relatives

Disclaimer : Marvel owns the X-men, I'm just borrowing them.   
  
  
Reborn   
  
  
Chapter Nine : Visit to the relatives 

  
  
  


Remy ran into the house, white as a ghost and nearly shaking. Running up to Rogue, he grabbed her about the shoulders and stared deep into her eyes, his own demon eyes taking on a sense of fear and panic. Concern lingered in Rogue's Emerald depths as she looked to her husband, worried at what might have scared him so. 

"Remy, Sugah, ya look like ya saw a ghost." Rogue replied, gently taking her husband's hands from her shoulers. 

"I did Roguey, and trust me, we be leaving now. Where is Jubilee?" Remy asked, looking to the doorway as Emma and Bobby walked into the den. 

"Ah put her ta bed, why?" Rogue asked, fear slipping into her voice as she followed Remy who ran to the stairs. 

"Jubilee! Mon p'tite ange? Time ta wake up." Remy called out, running to the room Emma had made for Jubilee, containing many of the toys and motiff of her own room. 

As Remy ran to her room, he froze at the doorway, fear rising in his throat as he stared at the open window and empty bed. Running to the window, he looked out and the fear only increased as he stared out to the lawn, empty. 

"Jubilee!" Remy yelled, panic rising to a climax as he began to tremble. 

"Am here papa. Had ta go potty." Jubilee called from the doorway, pulling up her pjs and clutching her 'Wolvie' doll, sleep lingering in her eyes. 

"Mon p'tite Ange, ya scared your papa." Remy cried out as he ran over and picked her up, hugging her fiercely. 

"Momma, why is papa scared?" Jubilee asked, returning the hug though her gaze lingering on the approaching form of her mother. 

"Ah don't know Sugah, but Ah bet it's for a good reason. You just stay with papa while Ah pack, alight?" Rogue asked, earning a nod from her daughter. 

"Where we goin'?" Jubilee asked, looking to her father. 

"We be going ta pay Grandpapa Charles a visit, and to see all your Aunties and Uncles there. Don dat sound like fun, non?" Remy asked, forcing a smile for the sake of his daughter. 

"Am going ta see Auntie Roro? An' Unca Blue? An' Unca Scott 'n Auntie Jean?" Jubilee asked, smiling at the thought of visiting her relatives. 

"Course ya are P'tite. And ya can see Uncle Kurt too. I'm sure he'll do that trick you like." Remy said as he walked with her back down to the den, earning worried looks from Bobby and Emma. 

"One where he pies Unca Scott?" Jubilee asked. 

"Is dere any other one?" Remy asked, truly smiling this time at the sight of Scott trying to stay calm and forcing a smile for the benefit of Jubilee. 

"What about Unca Wolvie?" Jubilee inquired, clutching tightly to her Wolvie doll. 

"He find us. He got dat sniffer remember. Dere no way we be loosing him." Remy replied, tweaking Jubilee's nose, causing her to giggle. 

~ Remy, care to explain to us what has you so cared? ~ Emma sent, earning a sharp glace from Remy. 

~ Not until we be in de car and headed back to Westchester. Now get yourself and Drake packing, no way I be leaving you two here alone with what I got ta tell ya. We'll phone Warren's office and leave a message for him ta meet us at Xavier's. ~ Remy replied, casting a look of dread to Emma, who merely grabbed Bobby's arm and ran upstairs to pack. 

Ten minutes later, the Van was loaded up, and Jubilee was fastened in her car seat in the back with Bobby and Emma on either side, while Rogue drove with Remy in the passenger seat. Jubilee fought to stay awake, yet with a gentle telepathic suggestion, gave up that fight and drifted off to sleep, ensured to be filled with pleasant dreams at Emma's influnce. 

"Now that we are all here, and on our way out of New Orleans, care to tell us what has you so worried Remy?" Emma inquired, brushing a few locks of hair out of Jubilee's face. 

"Words not be best to say what I got ta say. Emma, can you do dey Mind-link t'ing you mind witches do?" Remy asked as he looked back to her. 

Emma stood speechless, the enigmatic and secretive Remy LeBeau, asking for a telepath to delve into his mind. Shaking herself from the shock, and finding the grief and concern in Remy's eyes, she gave a weak nod, letting her mind reach out to Remy and Rogue, and her own beau Bobby as the four minds joined into a link. As Remy felt the tingling, he slowly drew upon his encounter out in the backyard of the Frost Estate. 

Images and feelings passed before their eyes, relief first, then apprehension. Shock followed as gleeming red eyes and a red diamond appeared in a shadow, revuslion. Anger rose as words flickered against their mind's ear. Words of investment and waiting, anger. Fear grew, accented by anger as they felt Remy running away, screaming for the man in the shadows to leave his family alone. As soon as the images came, they stopped abruptly as Remy slammed walls up against his mind, protecting the secrets he held once more. Looking about the car, he reached a hand to the wheel and righted the car which had drifted into the other lane, the asphalt running off to the horizon. 

"Who..." Emma asked, looking to Remy. 

As tears fell down Rogues eyes, she began to pull over to the shoulder, Remy looking to her with an expression that shared the pain she felt. From the times she had absorbed the token memories of Remy, she had known only one man to hold such dread to her husband, only one man who the shadows embraced so freely as one of their own. A man who intertwined with Remy's own past, sadistic in his plans for the future, relentless with his methods. A man once known as Nathanial Essex, now merely known by a name which carried his nature, Mr. Sinister. 

"Sinister." Remy whispered, Rogue having finally pulled over to the shoulder and having put the car in park as he pulled her into his arms, tears and quiet sobs sounding. 

Emma and Bobby remained silent with the revelation and the shock, revulsion rising from the depths of their souls. Quietly Bobby opened the driver side door of the van, stepping out and opening the other. Remy fought with the seatbelt as he unbuckled her, and then parted their embrace. With quiet tears the husband and wife moved to the back seat of the van, while Bobby took over driving for the rest of the trip. Emma merely sat in silence, keeping a watchful gaze upon her goddaughter, and leaving her mind probing the shadows that followed them as they left New Orleans.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


"Auntie Roro!" Jubilee cried, running up to her Auntio Ororo. 

"Jubilation." Ororo regarded her adopted niece and picked her up, giving her a warm hug. 

"Hey! Any of ya'll gonna give us a hand unpacking!" Rogue cried out from the van, the resident X-men heading down to lend a hand. 

As they all carried in the luggage, setting up their guests in the spare rooms, Ororo left to the den, keeping Jubilee occupied. A foreboding sense of urgency had lingered in the call that Remy had made to them, and Ororo knew that Jubilee need not be part of the discussion. Her mind lingered on worry though, not having seen Logan with the others, one of many questions to be had when the time came. For now though, was a time to play with her niece, a pleasure she had not enjoyed since her first birthday. 

"Where Unca Kurt?" Jubilee asked, looking up to Ororo after being set down. 

A sudden scream came before the stench of brimstone, the characteristic 'Bamf' noise heard as Kurt appeared behind Jubilee, his hands still covered in pie covering as he picked Jubilee up. Jubilee squealed with delight, even more so as Scott burst into the room moments later, his face covered in whipped cream and what appeared to be coconut cream. His ruby-quartz sunglasses appeared as if two miniature wiper blades had passed over them, just enough for him to see. 

"Unca Scott looks silly." Jubilee remarked as Kurt picked her up and teleported out, much to the aggrevation of Scott, yet amusement of Ororo. 

As Kurt and Jubilee reappeared, they found that they were now up in her bedroom, the various toys having grown since her last visit, additions probably buy her aunts and uncles as they were out shopping, noticing that one toy she would absolutly love. Kurt reached out with his tail and grabbed her the fuzzy blue cookie monster in medical scrubs, Jubilee giggling. 

"Unca Blue!" Jubilee cried out, taking the doll in her arms, clutched near her own 'Wolvie' doll. 

"Play nice klien engel, I must join the others with the news your Vater brings." Kurt remarked, tweaking Jubilees nose before stepping out of the room, bamfing out a moment later, leaving Scott to run past the door, a pie in his hand. 

"When I find you Kurt, I'll have a lovely pie for you!" Scott yelled as he stood in the hall, unable not to smile at the giggling coming from Jubilee. 

"Might as well not let this go to waste. Auntie Jeannie will keep me updated on what your father has to tell us. Here, lets have a pie?" Scott remarked as he walked into Jubilee's room, a squeal coming as he produced two forks and sat down with her. 

"Dank 'ou Unca Scott!" Jubilee cried out, taking the fork in her hand after setting 'Blue' and 'Wolvie' down beside her. 

"Your welcome Jubilation." Scott replied, taking a dab of whipped cream from the pie and placing it on her nose. 

Elsewhere in the mansion though, the tone was not so jovial and light, for in the office of Professor Charles Francis Xavier, he now found himself surrouned by past and present X-men, the tone somber. Remy sat in a chair with Rogue in his lap, husband and wife finding stregth with one another. Finally after prolonged silence, a sigh expelled apprehension, with a breath of courage drawn after. 

"I know you all be wondering, just as much as we have always been, wondering about Jubilee's birth and de hand dat fate had when she laid it on de table. De truth it be told now t'ough. Be a truth dat I didn't want to hear." Remy began, pausing to hug Rogue tightly as tears welled in both their eyes, while Emma and Bobby walked up to the couple, lending their strenght and support. 

"What might this truth be Remy?" Charles asked, eager to find out as the play of emotions drifted against his mind, brief images, flashes of recollection, so brief they were like a forgotten dream. 

"It only be hearsay until Hank proves it, but..." Remy pasued, struggling with words and his own inner demons. 

"But, Sinister had somethang ta do with Jubilee's birth. He...had a naninte in me, with Remy's sperm in it. It...impregnated me when Ah absorbed Jubilee as she died. It's why we're here. We don't feel safe in New Olreans right now." Rogue whispered, hugging Remy tightly as the couple shed tears together at the pain of knowing their hearts joy was at the cost of having that demon in their lives. 

A collective gasp was had by all, the implications running through their mind. Up in Jubilee's room, Scott inhaled the pie he had just taken to his mouth, choking on it as he pounded on his chest. Jubilee looked up to Scott with worry in her eyes. Pushing the pie aside, she stood and gave her uncle a hug, pounding his back as she did so. 

"Why you look sad Unca Scott?" Jubilee asked, pulling away and looking up to the field leader of the X-men. 

Scott let out a sigh, tears slipping from beneath his ruby-quartz glasses as he looked down to the girl they had all grown to love as their own, just as much as her previous incarnation. Taking her face in his hands, and placing a kiss on his forehead, he rose from his place, sending a message through the link he shared with Jean, asking that Kurt return to entertain her while he joined the others. The sudden stench of Brimstone filled the room as a 'Bamf' noise broke the silence. 

"Play nice for Uncle Kurt and I'll take you to get ice cream later, Mint Chip of course." Scott whispered, looking at Jubilee as her eyes light up at the mention of her favorite food. 

"Yay! Mint Chip! Am be good!" Jubilee cried out, picking up her 'Wolvie' doll and running to her Uncle Kurt as Scott quietly left. 

As he walked down to the office of his mentor, he could not help but think of the pain caused to his own family over the years by the medling of one man, known to all as Mr. Sinister. Looking down to the hair in his hand, brushed off from his shirt after Jubilee's hug, he only hoped that this single strand of hair held no dark clouds on the horizon for the LeBeau family.   
  
  



	10. Secrets

Disclaimer : Marvel owns the X-men, I'm just borrowing them.   
  
  
Reborn   
  
  
Chapter Ten : Secrets 

  
  
  


A lone silohuette sat upon the roof of the Mansion which held the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. Rain pelted the figure, while winds raged across the land, yet the resolve set seemed to be of stone, stubborn and immovable. Demon eyes stared off to the horizon, the sun long having had set, the days warmth banished with the storm that came in its wake. Across the mindscape of Remy LeBeau a similar storm raged, anger and pain fueled by the revelation of the hand that played in the birth of his child, truly his not merely by love or marriage, but by blood. 

Hours prior the horrid reality of Sinister's boasts came to life, Henry McCoy given the burden of revealing the findings. Jubilation LeBeau was daughter of Rogue and Remy LeBeau, though the majority of her DNA had been of her prior incarnation. Traits had been passed along of each parent, subtle and hidden in the maze of the Human Genome. Though the awful truth came when no diabolical tampering had been found, that Jubilation was just an average child with a slightly enhanced consciousness due to her past memories settling in the mind. In the face of this gift with no immediate perils, the hidden face of the deranged genius hung over her as a shadow, for nothing ever came without a price when Nathanial Essex was involved. 

The creak of a window became lost to the storm, yet another silohuette climbing out onto the rooftop, red light flaring from underneath a visor. With grace and years of battle, the new figure walked next to Remy, sitting down without waiting for invitation. The two men glanced to one another, brothers in suffering at the hands of Sinister. From his pocket Remy pulled out a cigarette, pressing it to his lips and letting his gift light it. Habits died hard, and even harder did addictions. As the string of smoke filled his lungs, he fought against the cough that wished to erupt from his haste, having not tasted a cigarette in nearly three years, aside from the awful night he had found out the truth. 

"Rogue will kill you." Scott commented flatly, looking to Remy. 

"Non, she just beat me up a bit. Den she let Jubilee tell me dat I'm being a 'Bad Papa'." Remy corrected, dropping his hand which held the cigarette, toying with the filter between his thumb and finger. 

In a surprising move, Scott reached down to the cigarette and plucked it, leaving a stunned man in his wave. Pressing it to his lips, he took a deep haul from it, the ember flaring to life in near abysmal darkness of the night. Handing it back to Remy, Scott let the smoke drift out, stolen by the wind as a red fog could be seen swirling about his face. Silence hung between the men, followed by a chuckle that in time grew to laughter. 

"And here Remy t'ought he was de one wit secrets!" Remy erupted, coughing after inhaling the worst the storm had to offer. 

"I have one occasionally. To calm my nerves after anything serious. smoked an entire pack before my wedding day." Scott remarked, grinning at the memory of having to hide down at the Auger Inn to nurse one of the few vices known to him. 

"Merde. Jean know?" Remy replied. 

"Of course. And right now she's hissing in aggrevation at having had that haul right now. Be thankful you don't share a psychic rapport with your love. While it can be a wonderful thing at times, at other times it's a bloody inconviences." Scott replied. 

"Fearless leader nearly swore. You sure your not a clone or a Scott from an alternate dimension?" Remy asked with a chuckle, taking the last haul of the cigarette before stubbing it out upon a shingle. 

"Not as far as I know, but with us X-men, and Summers in particular, you just never know. I've yet to have a little one of my own with Jean, yet I already have a son far older than me and a daughter from an alternate timeline." Scott remarked in a playful tone. 

"Oui, ya just never know do ya?" Remy replied, shaking his head. 

Silence hung between the two men, neither meeting the others gaze, their eyes locked upon the horizon, while their minds rested beyond the horizon. Either man longed to know what lay beyond the horizon where the next day slumbered, the truths and revelations to be had by looking over the hilltop of today. But fear rose with thoughts of the shadow from the yesterdays past, a single figure rising from both their pasts, a figure whose passing inspired rage and foreshadows fear. To know what comes tommorow is to know yet another worry to be had, eating away at the bliss that comes with ignorance, leaving the soul tied in knots of apprehension and anger.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Rogue sat in the den, holding her slumbering daughter, a crackling fire burning gently, shadows dancing across the walls. Relief was had knowing her daughter was just a normal and healthy child, as normal as any child born under the auspice of the X could be. Whatever Sinister dared from this day forth would be met with a mothers rage, rivaling any horror that swam in the berserker rage known to Logan. She would not loose her child to the madman that was Sinister, and if need be the most desperate action would be taken to ensure the saftey of her daughter. Sighing, she let her body melt into the antique rocking chair, pulling her daughter a little closer to herself. 

"Professor Xavier says he can feel Logan returning." A voice called from the darkened hallway, emerald eyes peering into the room, dancing with fire that seemed not of the fireplace, but a different realm entierly. 

"Told her that her Unca Wolvie would come back." Rogue whispered. 

"Even death cannot hold that man back when one of the few things he cherishes in the world is threatened or taken from him." Jean replied, stepping into the doorway. 

"Stubborn as a mule he is." Rogue replied. 

"Monet and Warren are to be arriving tommorow. The storm delayed their flight. Ororo offered to take care of it, though I believe the couple wished to use it as an excuse for some business they longed to tend to." Jean commented, walking into the den and sitting down on a couch. 

"Ever the two workaholics aren't they?" Rogue shot back, a slight grin playing across her face. 

Just as Jean was to reply, her eyes grew distant while a shudder passed down her. As her focus sharpened, a disdain came back with her, a hiss passing her lips. Looking to Rogue, she could feel the confusion wafting from the other woman. Shaking her head lightly, she ran a hand through her hair before replying to the curious gaze. 

"Scott and Remy are sharing a cigarette on the roof." Jean stated bluntly. 

"Scott? Sharing a cigarette with Remy?" Rogue asked slowly, letting the words drift into her mind, bringing the full meaning to her mind. 

"Scott does smoke occasionally. He is only human after all." Jean replied, the aggrevation of her husband nursing his habit passed to genuine humor at the reaction of her friend to the truth that Scott Summers actually had a vice. 

"Ah don't believe it. There anythang else we don't know about Mr. Summers?" Rogue replied. 

"I am sworn to silence beyond his Smoking habit. Though I must say he can be a little...err...frisky in the bedroom when he wishes to roleplay a few thoughts." Jean replied, breaking her vow as she passed the briefest image into Rogues mind, the Southern Belle blushing furiously. 

"Oh my." Rogue comments. 

"Not quite the words I said at the time." Jean shot back, the two women giggling. 

The heavy footfalls that could only belong to one man brought a sober calmness to either woman, the sound of a water dripping on the hardwood floor growing closer. As the footsteps grew closer, growing in volume, Rouge and Jean turned to the doorway, expecting one of the few men who could impose such a stillness in them. Jubilee slowly began to stir, her eyes fluttering open with the hazy expression of slumber locked upon her face. Finally Bishop appeared from the darkened hallway, dripping wet from his evening rounds, taking to sit right in front of the fire. 

"Evening." Bishop remarked in a somber tone. 

"Hey Sugah." Rogue replied, sitting Jubilee up who was now squirming in her lap. 

"Unca Biship." Jubilee remarked as she looked to the man who had tracked down her Godfather. 

"Jubilation, Rogue, Jean." Bishop returned, taking off his jacket and throwing it to the floor. 

"Bishop, we do have clothes dryers you do realize?" Jean stated, knowing it to be useless. 

"Recharging my energy while too warming myself." Bishop replied, earning a nod from Jean. 

"Momma, am hungry." Jubilee questioned, looking up to her mother. 

"Want some of yer Papa's gumbo?"Rogue replied, tweaking her daughters nose. 

Jubilee merely scrunched up her nose, not satisfied with her mothers proposed dinner. Squirming from her grasp, she dropped to the floor and walked over to her 'Auntie Jeannie' and gave her the heart melting puppy dog eyes that the X-men had grown to fear. Sighing, Jean looked up to Rogue for help. 

"Can Ah have ice cream?" Jubilee asked. 

"This late? You would have to ask your mother dear." Jean replied, thankful for being able to place the responsiblity of the sugar craving toddler on yet another person. 

"Momma, can Ah have ice cream?" Jubilee asked, looking to her mother and giving her lip a tremble. 

"Not this late Sugah, though Ah'll make you a hot chocolate." Rogue replied. 

"Marshmawows?" Jubilee asked, looking hopeful. 

"What's hot chocolate without 'Marshmawows?" Rogue replied, smiling as she rose and walked over to her daughter, picking her up and then heading for the kitchen. 

Left to the silence of the den, Jean quickly decided to leave Bishop to his brooding. As the time lost X-man looked to the flames of the fire, he could only wonder what the future would hold for him and the X-men. Time had changed much since his emersion in this timestream, his own future being lost from it, events altered yet forever staying the same. The X-men had been betrayed by one of their own, yet the last anyone ever expected betrayal from. In retrospect he should have known not to accept the most likely of them, looking past the exterior and into the soul of the man, where the love of family and a deep honor rested. 

"Ya keep that up Bish and you won't have any eyebrows left." A familiar voice heckled in a dry tone. 

"Evening Drake." Bishop returned, laying down before the fire and staring at the ceiling. 

"Ya know Bish, I gotta thank you for that." Bobby replied, walking in and taking a seat on the couch that he could look down to the militant X-man. 

"For what?" Bishop queried. 

"Not calling me Bobby, or any other childish name. You always refered to me as if I had a degree of maturity. After being the odd man out for most of my SuperHero career, it's refreshing to be taken seriously occasionally." Bobby returned, a sincere tone to his voice. 

"Taking things at face value cost me dearly before. I've learned my lesson." Bishop replied back enigmatically. 

"Can't really blame you, you did come from our future, having read up on us." Bobby replied, slumping down into the couch and joining Bishop in his gaze of the ceiling. 

"You learn fast never to truly trust your intelligence. I forgot that lesson. Things change, aspects and undertones can't always be noted. In every battle you always have to use what you know and what you see. You were just afraid to grow up, and with Summers or the Professor as a role model for adulthood, none can blame you." Bishop remarked, his eyes wrinkling. 

"Stop that, your liable to put me in the med lab for a heart attack." Bobby shot back. 

"Not used to my sense of humor?" Bishop remarked, his gaze darting to Bobby. 

"Still getting used to you having a sense of humor." Bobby replied with a chuckle. 

"What can I say, your a bad influence." Bishop replied. 

"Ah, so I'm influnecing you? Perhaps I can use such influence to gain your aid with a certain prank?" Bobby replied. 

"I'm listening." Bishop returned, waiting for Bobby to get over the shock of his actual consideration of his proposal. 

Hushed voices and mirthful chuckles echoed through the halls, drifting about like playful sprites, tickling the ears of anyone who caught windfall of the events being plotted. Upon the roof, two silohuettes deftly climbed back into the window of their entry to the solitude of the mansion roof, while in the kitchen Rogue and Jubilee shared a quiet moment between mother and daughter, mustaches of hot chocolate shared between the two. Even further off, as the storm finally grew weak, a short and stalky figure plowed through the underbrush, eyes carrying a peace between the internal feud, Beast and Man too tired to continue their efforts after enduring the worst the storm had to offer. 

And as Logan finally reached the edge of the woods that surrounded the Xavier Estate, the beast fell back even further into the wilderness of the mindscape it shared with the tree dweller. A sense of relief passing over the man as he gazed upon what had become his home, forever welcome even after absences in which to deal with the long life of the man. Snorting, his gaze shot to the shadows of the woods on the other side of the mansion, a scent lingering in the air that stirred a painful memory of sterile rooms and pain. Bursting across the lawn, the Beast ran aside the Man, knowning these woods to be it's own, and knowing something to have encroached upon it's territory.   
  
  
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	11. The Storm

Disclaimer : Marvel owns the X-men, I'm just borrowing them.   
  
  


Author's Note : Just a short little piece so that I can get past this point. I've had major writers block on it, but have ideas for future chapters so I'm just gonna get it done with :P   
  
  
Reborn   
  
  
Chapter Ten and a Half : The Storm   
  
  


Moisture hung in the air while fog billowed over the lawn as the storm slowly receeded into the night. The moon flickered in and out of existance, unseen clouds blended into the night sky like a shroud, hiding away the stars and their light. Off in the distance, the rumble of thunder could still be heard, as the storm carried on it's path, yet now peace was known upon the Westchester Estate of Charles Xavier. 

As if two gargoyles standing vigil over their home, two shadow enshrouded figures sat upon the rooftop, red eyes peering out into the night as a smoky haze hung about either, dancing upon the cool night breeze. Remy and Scott had taken the worst the storm had to offer, and had survived. Now either man enjoyed the tranquil peace that surrounded them, despite the soaked clothing that clung to them. 

"T'ink we should head back in soon mon ami?" Remy asked, looking to Scott as he stubbed out his cigarette on the roof. 

"I suppose. Get cleaned up and all as I don't think our wives would appreciate us coming to bed soaking wet." Scott returned, glacing down to a wake in the fog. 

"Did you just see that?" Scott asked, pointing to the vanishing mist. 

"Non, Remy be t'inking you seein' t'ings." Remy remarked as he slowly rose, offering a hand to Scott. 

"Could be, that or Logan has finally returned home. Either way lets get in before sunrise." Scott remarked, taking the hand and pulling himself to his feet. 

Quietly and with sure footing, Remy and Scott climbed back to the hidden entrance to the roof, having been installed after too many risky climbs up the eaves to the roof. Parting ways, Remy quietly walked to his room, finding Rogue slumbering with their pride and joy nestled in her arms. Careful of his movements, he quietly made his way to the washroom and smiled as he noted the dry T-shirt and shorts awaiting him upon the counter along with a warm towel. Turning on the shower, he stripped out of his damp clothing and stepped into the warm spray, enjoying the warmth after the cold night.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


The scent was growing weaker with every passing moment, the storm having washed it away. Snarling, Logan padded about the woods, trying to find the scent that had so enraged him only an hour before, having carefully stalked through the woods with care not to make any noise. Looking about with the vision his gift allowed, he could see no traces of any presence in his woods, let along the faint scent that seemed to vanish with the fog. Frustration winning out, Logan burst from the woods, running back to the house. 

Throwing open the screen door, Logan shook away the water that clung to him from the storm, his hair clinging to his face as he scanned the kitchen. Giving a sniff, he could still smell the scents of Jubilee and Rogue, with a mixture of Hot Chocolate and marshmallows. Looking to the table, he couldn't help but smile at what he found there. Sitting down, he picked up the note that stood beside the warm bottle of beer and napkin that held three marshmallows. Looking inside the note, he fought tears as he recognized Jubilee's script, Walcam Hoome Unca Wolvie. 

Popping open the bottle, he put it back in one fierce gulp, ignoring the warm taste to it, knowing the thought that his Goddaughter had put into it. Looking next to the napkin, he swallowed his pride as he put back the marshmallows, knowing that they were far better than seeing the pout Jubilee would put on if he didn't eat them. Sighing as he leaned back in the chair, he reached into the fridge and pulled out an ice cold beer to wash down the mashmallows with. 

~ Welcome home Logan, Jubilee will be estatic to see you in the morning, you should probably get some rest. ~ The familiar voice of Jean played in his mind. 

~ Thanks for the warnin', G'night Jeannie. ~ Logan replied, feeling her presence in his mind growing weaker as she backed out with a faint sense of humor and mirth. 

Getting to his feet, Logan walked back out to the porch that hung behind the kitchen, sitting down on a deck chair while ignoring the pool of water held upon it. Looking to the sky, he could see the few stars begining to peak out from behind the clouds, while the moon stood prominant in the night sky. A sense of relief came as he knew all was well in the world in this moment, his friends and family safely sleeping or retiring for the evening. Looking out to the fog that hung over the lawn, he allowed himself to become lost to the undulations and wakes of the mist.   
  
  
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	12. Fun In The Big City

Disclaimer : Marvel Owns The X-men, I'm just borrowing them.   
  
  


Author's Note : Lets do the time warp again! Lets do the time warp again! It's just a jump to the left! And a step to the ahhhhh! *Ray gets attacked by a herd of plot bunnies* Medic...   
  
  
Reborn   
  
  
Chapter Eleven : Fun in the Big City   
  
  


The years passed by with a carefree nature to them, Jubilee growing with love and her parents finding a new life in New York City. Rogue finally took time to attend College, earning a degree in Early Childhood Education, while Remy took to Private Investigation. Drifting away from the lives of Superheros once more, the small family knew peace in their new home, while still visiting with their 'extended family' on holidays. Though some of the 'Extended Family' were within arms reach, Emma sitting at the helm of Frost Enterprise, while Monet and Warren headed Worthington Incorporated. And in all of it, Bobby merely took pleasure in being there for his once partner in pranks, now the resident 'Nanny' for the toddler. 

"I wanna go to the mall!" Jubilee cried out, stamping her foot down and looking to her Uncle Bobby. 

"I wanna go to the Bahamas!" Bobby retorted, sticking out his lower lip and emulating Jubilee in stamping down his foot. 

"Like, your so immature Uncle Bobby." Jubilee said flatly, leveling her gaze upon her favored Uncle. 

"I know, and that's why you love me." Bobby replied as he grabbed his jacket and Jubilee's, tossing her the jacket and putting on his own. 

"Yeah yeah, don't go spreadin' it around or nuttin or I'll get Unca Wolvie to so gut ya." Jubilee retorted as she put on her jacket. 

"So, other than the mall which is off limits due to the prank ya pulled on your teacher, which of course I must applaud you upon, though of course you didn't hear me say that, where do you want to go?" Bobby asked, looking to the now nine year old girl. 

"Movies?" Jubilee asked, to which Bobby checked 'The List', a list written up by her parents of places she could and couldn't go while being grounded. 

"Sorry, that's a no go. Though, they didn't say anything about Blockbuster, or borrowing Auntie Em's home theatre." Bobby remarked, giving Jubilee a sly grin. 

"I love the way you work dude." Jubilee replied, giving her Uncle a hug. 

"Thank you, Thank you. I give thanks to living with Scott Summers my entire Adult life, as well as having to think with the mind of a lawyer with having to find loop holes in whatever your Aunt Em says." Bobby remarked in a voice mocking anyone who had just won an award. 

With that the pair ran off, seeking to find a few movies to while away the Friday evening, as well as enough sugar to get either of them wired. As they rushed into the nearest Blockbuster, the stopped dead in their tracks as they spotted a certain teacher of whom had to visit the ER to have a ruler and pair of scissors removed from her hand earlier in the week. Dashing behind a parked car, Jubilee and Bobby looked to one another, then peeked back over the car to look into the video store. 

"Great, now we have to wait until she's gone before we can go in. There's no way I want to be in the same room after what I did to her." Jubilee remarked, sliding back down the car. 

"So then, lets get some coffee and hot chocolate at the coffee shop across the street while she figures out what she wants." Bobby suggested, picking up his niece and racing across the street when there was a break in traffic.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Remy sat in the coffee shop, giving the occasional glance to the video store as he kept an eye on the man he was to tail for the insurance company, apparently a suspicious case of insurance fraud that just needed to be proved. Sighing, he turned back to his game of solitaire while his coffee grew cold. Without even glancing up, he thanked the waitress as she poured a bit of fresh coffee into his cup, freshening it enough to be bearable. Shaking his head, he really regretted going legit on days like this. Suddenly a shriek errupted from the crowd, a very familiar shriek he realized as he looked up and found his daughter dearest looking at him as if she had seen a ghost. Bobby casually whistled behind her, a thoughtful look in his eyes as if trying to think of why he and his ward were found in the same coffee shop with her father. 

"P'tit, care to tell Papa what your doing here when your grounded?" Remy asked, waving the pair over. 

"Umm, Umm. Getting coffee?" Jubilee remarked, looking up to Bobby who nodded in agreement. 

"Robert, your not letting my little girl drink coffee yet are you?" Remy asked, earning a swift shake of Bobby's head. 

"Nope, just getting some hot chocolate while we wait for her teacher to get out of the video store." Bobby explained as he sat down and pulled out a chair for Jubilee. 

"Oh? Would dis be de teacher dat had to go to the ER after your little prank dat got your Momma so angry?" Remy asked, looking to the video store and spotting the aforementioned teacher as she exited and made her way to her car. 

"Maybe..." Jubilee replied, averting her fathers gaze. 

"Dis de same one dat kept saying you 'ad to be adopted?" Remy asked, giving a less than favorable glance to the teacher as she started her car. 

"Yes! That's the one!" Jubilee exclaimed, finding a foothole of favor in her fathers questions. 

"Ah, well, den, lets just pretend we didn't meet her today, dat sound good?" Remy asked, giving his daughter his trademark smile. 

"Yeah! Real good. Uncle Bobby, lets go get a movie now, my father is obviously busy on a case and we..." Jubilee began as she rose to her feet. 

"Don't want to get in his way. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea Jubes. Have fun Remy!" Bobby exlcaimed as he joined Jubilee, forgetting about the coffee and making their way to the video store, leaving a smirking Remy LeBeau in their wake. 

"T'ose two, merde, two sides of de same coin, and it be a two faced coin used ta play a prank on someone." Remy mused as he watched Bobby chase Jubilee across the street and into the PG section of the Video store, constantly ushering her out of the R section. 

Returning his watch to the tail he was on, he couldn't help but smirk as he watched him help a teenaged girl with a heavy looking box of popcorn, meanwhile supposedly having suffered a back injury at work. Pulling out his small camera, he zoomed in a took a few pictures, smiling as he sealed the case with the last series of photos needed. Finishing off his coffee, a toast to his success, he suddenly realized he should have merely ordered a new cup as he grimaced at the stale coffee. Spitting the rest back into the cup, he waved over a waitress and ordered a tall glace of ice water to wash out the taste.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


"Mrs. LeBeau, Timmy threw up in the washroom." The little boy explained to his teacher, pointing to the aforementioned Timmy as he walked into class looking ill. 

"Ah dang. I'll have to..." Rogue began, though stopped as little Timmy now added to the places he had just been ill in, a chorus of four year old voices chimming in with an 'Ew' in unison. 

"...have to call the Janitors to clean these messes up." Rogue finished, turning pale as she walked over and helped Timmy to the sink, giving him a glass of water to wash out the vomit and assuring him he did nothing wrong, while his peers taunts and laughter bespoke of anything but. 

"Mrs LeBeau, I don't feel so..." Timmy remarked, though was quickly steered into the sink where the mess could be contained. 

"Ah know Timmy, Ah'll call your Momma or Papa to come pick you up, but for now I'll have the nurse come and get you where she can give you something for your tummy." Rogue remarked, giving the child a gentle pat on his back. 

"Now you just say here and if you feel ill again just do it in the sink, I'll go get Miss Jenkin's to come get you." Rogue explained, rushing to the intercom and calling the school nurse, and then the janitors. 

"Peter! Stay outta that!" Rogue screamed as she saw the class clown pulling out a straw. 

As the Janitor came in with a mop and bucket with a pail of various cleaning products, Rogue breathed a sigh of relief, and then one more as the nurse came to take Timmy away. Looking to the clock, she was thankful class would be over in half an hour. 

"And here Ah thought battling superpowered villians was tough work." Rogue whispered as she began to reign control over the class, getting them away from the messes that the Janitor took to cleaning. 

"Mrs LeBeau, I gotta go Potty." Little Tabitha remarked as she did a little dance. 

"You know where the washroom is Tabby." Rogue remarked in a kind and patient voice. 

"But Timmy puked all over it." Tabitha remarked, causing Rogue to pale. 

"Ah'll call Mr. Garth to come and take you to the one on the second floor." Rogue remarked, walking back to the intercom and buzzing the teachers aid, a poor fellow who played errand boy to the teaching faculty. 

"Ew! Bobby James kissed me!" A girl screamed. 

"Did not!" A boy cried out in indigation. 

"Did to!" The girl cried back. 

"Children, please be..." Rogue began, trying to reign control over the students. 

Just as suddenly as she began, she stopped, glancing back to where Peter had just filled the class vacum with paint, and was now proceeding to hit the reverse button on it with a look she had seen all too often in one Robert Drakes eyes. Staring in horror as she realized a use of her powers would be wrong, she stood her ground and awaited the barrage of paint that soon followed, shrieks and cheers coming from the assorted class. Blinking, then wiping away the blue paint that now covered her, Rogue walked out of the class and down to the main office. 

"Good afternoon Mrs Lebeau, how was...Oh. I suppose you'll be taking the rest of the day off?" The secretary remarked, giving Rogue a glance over, who in returned nodded. 

"Should I call a taxi for you?" The secretary inquired, receiving another nod. 

"I'll be sure to tell them to cover the seat with garbage backs. Do have a good day and enjoy your shower when you return home. I do apoligize for you having to take over for Kindergarden today, but as you know Miss Barker was ill." The secretary remarked, receiving a shrug from Rogue who merely walked out and waited for the cab. 

As the cab pulled up, the driver gave a once over on Rogue and then rushed out to get the door for her, lest she get blue paint all over the handle. After seating herself in, and fastening the seat belt, the driver climbed back in and looked at her in the rear view mirror. 

"Tough class?" The driver asked. 

"Home. 101 Terrace Drive. Now. Please. Tip good if fast you there get." Rogue stammered, trying to keep her calm. 

"Sure thing lady." The driver remarked as he sped off, taking every shortcut he knew.   
  
  
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	13. Quiet Twilight, Announcements Made

Disclaimer : Marvel Owns The X-men, I'm just borrowing them.   
  
  


Author's Note : Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. Here ya go you lovely people you, another nice chapter to read and gush over, and trust me, after you read this chapter you'll be gushin' ;) I am so a Review Junkie, so as always, REVIEW PAWEASE!   
  
  
Reborn   
  
  
Chapter Twelve : Quiet Twilight, Celebrations Had   
  
  


The water gently fell upon her, washing away the stress of the day in a cascade of blue infused foam. Muscles relaxed at the warmth that enveloped her, while the gentle tinkling soothed her mind from the worrisome thoughts that plauged her from her day. Finally soothed and relaxed, Rogue turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, looking into the mirror at the lipstick message left upon it. Arching an eyebrow, a slow smile spread across her face as she read it. Taking a towel from the hanger, she wrapped herself up in the soft cotten and gave her hair a quick coming. Opening the door a crack, she gave a quick peek out to find that the lights had been turned off, with only soft candle light illuminating the house. Opening the door the rest of the way, she crept out and carefully snuck about the house looking for the one who had left the message upon the mirror. 

Reaching the living room, she found all the shades drawn, while a small box sat upon the coffee table with a note attached to it. Giving the note a quick read, she giggled as she unwrapped the box to find a DVD of The Shawshank Redemption. Looking about and still finding her beau hidden in the rest of the house, she gave a quick shrug and put the DVD on, then finding a comfortable place on the sofa as she waited for the movie to start. Mocking the federal warnings as they drifted by, she didnt' notice the shadow creeping over her, not until the velvety soft petals of a rose brushed her cheek, causing her to swiftly turn. Before her she found Remy, a rose in one hand and a bottle of massage oil in the other, while a sly grin played across his features. Looking into his demon eyes, a chill passed down her spine as she looked to her other half, almost a sinister look to him in the candle light. 

"Massage for de lady to sooth away de aches of de day?" Remy asked, taking a seat upon the arm of the sofa, placing the rose in Rogue's hair. 

"That sounds lovely Remy, Ah take it ya sent Jubilee off with Bobby?" Rogue asked as she stretched out on the sofa, Remy gently taking a seat next to her and pulling away the towel. 

"Non, Bobby took her off our hands of his own accord, though as we be knowing, dat never comes without mischief in return." Remy replied as he let a small bit of the oil pool in the small of Rogue's back, thereafter putting the bottle down and starting to massage his love. 

"Right now Ah don't care if they're plotting world domination, just so long as ya don't stop what your doin'." Rogue replied in a whisper of a voice, nestling her head on one of the cushions. 

"Wit' t'ose two ya never know do ya Chere? But I be agreeing with you on not caring." Remy replied. 

"You did lock the doors right?" Rogue asked, giving a quick glance to the front hallway, though with the dim light she was unable to see whether or not it was locked. 

"Locked up tight and even got de oldest trick in de book in use, chair propped up under de handle." Remy remarked as he worked his way up to her shoulders, gently working out the kinks until the stress melted away. 

"So Mr. LeBeau, care to tell me what follows this massage?" Rogue asked, fixing her view to the Television as the movie began playing. 

"De ladies wish be my command. Though I t'ink de rest of dat can wait until after de massage and movie, as well as some cuddling and snuggling too." Remy remarked as he started working back down her back. 

"My wish eh? Mr. LeBeau doesn't know the trouble he just got himself into." Rogue replied, her breath caught suddenly as Remy gave her cheek a pinch. 

"You should know by now dat Trouble be a good ol' friend of dis Cajun boy." Remy replied, continuing his ministrations. 

Rouge merely giggled in return, shushing Remy as she began watching the movie and slipped into the exstacy of the massage. After several more minutes, Remy ceased and laid down with his wife, slipping in between her and the sofa, throwing an arm about her as he pulled her close. Reaching under a cushion with one hand, he pulled what looked to be an RC control for a toy car, which much to Rogue's shock it indeed was, as Jubilee's RC Hummer drove out with pulling a trailer with ice and a bottle of wine in it. Reaching down, Remy gently tapped the cork of the wine as he had once before so long ago, charging it with enough kinetic energy to have it shoot out in a twist on the exotic Sabre opening of a bottle. With a bang the cork shot into the ceiling, ricocheting about the room for a couple more shots until it found rest. Pulling two glasses from under the table, he then poured the wine with a little help from Rogue. 

"You remember de last time I did dat?" Remy asked as he kissed Rogue. 

Rogue merely nodded in return, returning the kiss in full force. Tears hung in her eyes as she looked to Remy snuggled next to her bare skin, the silk shirt worn with the chest open. Affection returned in his own gaze, Remy reached in and gently kissed Rogue upon her brow, then took a sip of his wine as he settled next to her and nodded towards the TV. Rogue returned her gaze to the TV, taking a sip of her wine and snuggling closer to Remy as the two prepared for a quiet evening alone, knowing whatever trouble Jubilee got into with her 'Uncle', and whatever don'ts of the list which were done were well worth the privacy given.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


"We are so dead." Jubilee said in an as matter of factly voice, looking to the toasted blender. 

"So much for slushies. I feel shamed that I was thwarted by a mere appliance. The Master of Ice could not even make a simple slushie." Bobby groaned, looking to the blender that was now encased in an inch thick casing of ice. 

"Think Auntie Em will notice?" Jubilee asked, looking up to her Uncle. 

~ Notice what? ~ The telepathic voice of the aforementioned Emma Frost inquired, heralding her return home. 

"It wasn't my fault! Uncle Bobby did it!" Jubilee screamed, running back for the home theatre, merely to slip upon a patch of ice, then gently caught by a snowman. 

"Note to self : Teach young Grasshoper the fine art of sticking together through thick and thin." Bobby remarked to himself as he walked over to his niece and stood behind her. 

"Sure, hide behind the kid, Auntie Em so won't kill you if you hide behind the kid. She's a 'path you remember right?" Jubilee hissed, brushing off the snow. 

"She's a 'path that can get diamond hard skin, remember." Bobby remarked, visably paling as Emma walked into the room. 

"Robert, do tell me that wasn't my new blender." Emma asked in a paitent tone, looking to the frozen blender. 

"Okay, I won't tell you. Jubilee can tell you." Bobby remarked, pushing Jubilee forward on the ice. 

"Rat boy." Jubilee hissed, not noticing the taken aback look Emma suddenly got in her eyes. 

"Jubilee, what did you just say?" Emma asked, kneeling down to her niece. 

"I called him a rat boy for wanting me to tell you he froze your blender solid while trying to make slushies." Jubilee remarked, turning about and kicking Bobby in the shin. 

"Where might I inquire you learned such a phrase?" Emma asked as she gently guided Jubilee to face her. 

"I dunno, just came to mind. Am I in trouble Auntie Em?" Jubilee asked, looking up innocently to Emma. 

"N..no. Not at all. You can go back to the movie, I must have a moment to talk with your beloved Uncle." Emma remarked, giving Jubilee a gently scoot out. 

While Jubilee sped off, turning about to make a face at Bobby, who in turn emulated it, Emma watched as she ran off. Once she had left, and Bobby had slunk into his bashful pose, Emma walked over to the island and sat down on a stool, pushing the frozen blender into the skin. Bobby looked to Emma, picking up on the subtle play of emotions upon her near constant mask of indifference, walking over and gently raising her chin to face him. Tilting his head, he mouthed a breathless 'What's wrong?'. 

"Did, did I ever tell you of a student at the school, a Tristran Brawn?" Emma remarked, looking to Bobby with concern held within her eyes. 

"Can't say ya did, why?" Bobby asked, sitting down and de-icing the blender with a gesture. 

"He was a horrid child, maniplative and cunning. He had actually blackmailed Paige into dating him after he found out of the children's mutant status. He was also the Grandson of the man who had Jubilee's parents killed." Emma remarked, struggling to remain calm even while tears welled in her eyes. 

Bobby reached across and pulled her into a gentle hug, doing his best to calm her enough to tell the rest of the story. Shuddering breaths were drawn in as the crystal structure of her emotional mask shattered with the weight of the emotions stirred. Pulling away from the warm embrace, she drew in a deep, calming breath and then shook her head, banishing the memories that had burst forth. Looking to Bobby with mascara running down her cheeks, she smiled weakly at Bobby. 

"Everything alright Em?" Bobby asked, pulling out a napkin and dabbing away the streaks. 

"Jubilee had a nickname for the boy," Emma said, pausing as she took the napkin and wiped away the tears in her eyes before continuing, "she called him, Rat Boy." 

Bobby froze, quite literally as a fine frost fell over him, while the room suddenly dropped the associated degrees. In the other room, a shriek was heard, accented by the stomping of feet as the subject of discussion walked in, glaring about. Dusting off the frost, and shaking her head, she walked over to Bobby and punched him in the thigh, then cast a curious glance to Emma. 

"Like, you didn't just tell him your pregnant did you?" Jubilee asked, looking to Emma, then to Bobby. 

The look of shock in Emma's eyes, accented by the look of panic mixed with confusion in Bobby's own eyes left Jubilee even more confused. Growling in her mimmick of her Unca Wolvie, she walked over to the dinner table and dragged a chair over to the couple. Sitting down, she propped her head in her hands and waited. 

"Your pre...pregnant?" Bobby asked, the topic of moments before forgotten. 

"Jubilation, how on earth did you know!" Emma shrieked. 

"Like, since when did you ever like Sugarbombs?" Jubilee asked, giving a lopsided smile to her Aunt and Godmother. 

"Emma, your..." Bobby asked once more, looking to his wife. 

"Yes." Emma replied in a quiet voice, looking to Bobby. 

"I'm going to be, your going to be, we're going to be?" Bobby asked in a stutter of a voice. 

"You're both gonna be the proud caretakers of a little ball of poop. Yup! Enjoy! Now if you'd kindly raise the temperature, I'd rather enjoy watching my movie without having to find an ice scraper." Jubilee said in a chipper voice as she hopped off the chair and slid back into the den. 

Bobby and Emma watched as their niece walked back into the den, then looked to one another in shock. With their eyes locked, and hearts pounding, they suddenly wrapped arms about one another while kissing deeply for what seemed to be an eternity, yet at the same time a flickering moment lost to time. As the broke apart, giddy screams were had by either, Emma thankful for the ice finally broken, and Bobby glad to find out he was going to be a father. Rushing to the phone, the ran down the speed dial and then threw it on the speaker phone.   
  
  


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The LeBeaus watched as Red walked along the old stone fence, looking for the piece of obsidian his friend had told him about all the years before. Tears in both their eyes as he pulled away the other rocks, finally finding the sought after stone, he held it in his hands as if a truth incarnate. Pressing a chaste kiss to each other, the turned back as he opend the tin and pulled out the bag. Suddenly the phone rang, a hiss of aggrevation passed by either. 

"T'ought I disconnected de phone." Remy growled as he started to get up. 

"Nu'uh. Your stayin' here Sugah. Let the machine get it." Rogue said, pouring two more glasses of wine and handing one to her husband. 

"You just reminded me of why I married you, Chere." Remy whispered. 

"Because Ah tell ya what ta do?" Rogue asked with a quirk of her eyebrow. 

"Non, it be dat look you get in your emerald eyes dat drives dis Cajun heart wild." Remy whispered, stealing a kiss which grew into utter passion. 

"We're going to have a baby!" The voices of Emma and Bobby suddenly screached over the machine as it picked up, after running through the greeting Jubilee had put on, consiting of Logan growling. 

Eyes wide and with startled gasps the pair of lovers fell from the sofa and immediatly ran to the phone, picking it up. As Remy nestled close to Rogue, while she screamed for answers into it, they could hear the laughter from the other end of the phone. 

"Ah'm gonna be an Auntie!" Rogue screached, squealing and twirling in the air as she picked up Remy. 

"Dey Frosts are having a baby?" Remy asked in shock, laughter still carrying from the speaker of the phone. 

"They're having a baby!" Rogue shouted, twirling about the room until she banged her and her husbands head into the ceiling, the two laughing shortly after. 

"They're having a baby!" Remy shouted finally, hugging Rogue fiercely as he pressed a kiss to her lips.   
  
  
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	14. Trouble at the Food Court

Disclaimer : Marvel Owns The X-men, I'm just borrowing them.   
  
  
Reborn   
  
  


Chapter Thirteen: Trouble at the Food Court   
  
  


What luck, Jubilee mused as she walked through the mall, sipping on her soda and holding a shopping bag in her free hand. She had been able to sneak away from her mother and her Aunt as the two took to shopping for the nursery, and with her generous allowance from her father, earned by learning the 'tricks of the trade' as he had called it, she had enough cash to go on a small shopping spree. The mall always seemed like a second home, for what reason seemed like trying to remember a forgotten dream. She knew she knew the answer, but merely enough could not draw upon it. Whatever, cute guy alert, she thought as she looked at the older boys with a sly glance that went unnoticed. Though only nine, she knew she could enjoy a glance here and there without having to worry about the younger ones bugging her yet. 

Sitting down on one of the benches and looking about, she took in the sights the food court had to offer. People stuffing their faces, making eyes at one another, one woman cooing softly to her baby that cried in the stroller, and a man reaching into a ladies purse without notice, other than her own. With a chuckle Jubilee picked up her shopping bag and walked up to the man, taking care to do so that she wouldn't be noticed until she longed to be. It was almost second nature to her to walk through a crowd without anyone noticing her, and she was sure she could probably practice her fathers past art of thievery without a hitch. But then again, that wouldn't be right. Finally behind the man as he reached into a pocket of a man's jacket, it was show time. 

"HEY! He's stealing that man's wallet!" Jubilee cried out in a loud voice, earning the attention of everyone in the food court, while the man stood frozen with his hand still in the pocket. 

Swiftly people surrounded him, while others took notice of their missing belongings. With a smug grin Jubilee tried to step back into the crowd, only to have the man grab her wrist. Trying to throw him with a movie her Unca Wolvie had taught her, she found that his grasp was as of steel, without any give or momentum to use against him. Fear filled her eyes as she looked up to him, finding the familiar silhouette of a pistol poised at her through his jacket. One stupid mistake deserves a swift remedy Jubilee thought as she screamed out upon the psonic plane, calling to her Aunt Emma, knowing wherever she might be that she would be heard, and moreover, be able to react. 

"No body move or the girl gets it!" The man shouted, pulling his pistol out and brandishing it at the crowd, then aiming it once more at Jubilee. 

Struggling in his grasp, Jubilee tried to free herself, panic gripping her. She hadn't heard from her Aunt yet, and knowing Emma it was odd for she normally answered at the speed of thought. The faint echo of that forgotten dream played upon her, as if she should be able to do something to get out of this mess. Something with the Fourth of July and Fireworks, but she couldn't understand what it all meant. Growling as her hand grew cold from the iron grip the man had upon her wrist she glared at him. Clenching her teeth, she knew she would have to hold her own until her mother and Auntie Em came to save her, for everyone else seemed frozen with the threat imparted by the man. 

"Oh, big man, needs a gun to keep a nine year old in line? Stealing wallets and purses, why don't you go take that gun and hold up a bank or something? Make it worth your while? Or how about you learn how to steal and go pay a visit to a museum or some rich..." Jubilee began, a swift motion from the man bringing silence as she felt a pain exploding in her head, feeling the trickle of blood from a cut as the gun butt slammed into her skull. 

"Shut up!" The man yelled, pulling her tighter to him as she sagged limply in his arm. 

"Let. Mah. Daughter. Go!" A very angry Rogue shouted, controlling her rage at seeing what the man had just done to her daughter, while too resisting the urge to blow him apart on the sub-molecular level with the powers imparted upon her by Jubilation Lee. 

"Shut up! Don't come any closer or I'll put a cap in the loud mouth!" The man shouted, leveling the barrel against Jubilee as she looked to her mother with bleary vision. 

A reassuring presence brushed her mind, whispering to her that everything would be alright and that she already had taken a hold of the motor control of the man. Her head throbbed with the added presence of her aunt, and she willed it out, giving a gentle nudge that spoke of her wish. Without will of her own, her gaze slowly drifted until it locked with that of her Aunt, then the presence faded completely. As the arm eased while the hand released her, Jubilee fell to the ground as the man looked down in shock. Looking about the crowd, he now found that he was frozen in place. Out of the crowd a man ran from where he had been guarding his own child, and picked up Jubilee, cradling her as he ran back to the safety of the crowd. Soon others ran out and wrestled the man to the ground, Emma keeping a firm grip upon him. 

"Are you alright?" The man asked, looking down to Jubilee and brushing away the blood matted hair. 

"Not unless you can get the guy playing bass in my head to quit it." Jubilee groaned, looking over to her mother who was rushing over, while her Aunt remained intent upon keeping a grasp upon the man for some reason. 

"Jubiee, honey, sugah, baby, are ya alright?" Rogue asked as she knelt down next to her daughter. 

"Now, ow, that you have totally embarrassed me in front of a total stranger, ow, no!" Jubilee growled as her mother cleaned the cut with items taken from a small kit of medical supplies she kept handy for the children in her care at school. 

Gently the man handed Jubilee back to her mother, who gratefully accepted her daughter and hugged her, taking care not to invoke the super strength imbued upon her by Carol Danvers all those years ago. Unnoticed by her mother, Jubilee caught the fear that lingered in her Auntie Em's eyes, while the strain of forcing her telepathy upon someone showed as a thin bead of sweat marred her brow. 

"Mom." Jubilee whispered, not earning the attention she sought, merely receiving the attention she did not desire in this moment. 

"Mother." Jubilee tried once more, placing emphasis upon the first syllable and the last with sharp exaggeration, once again ignored. 

"Mom!" Jubilee yelled, finally earning her mothers attention, quickly nodding to Emma as the woman let out a gasp, her eyes loosing focus and a scream coming from the crowed. 

Looking to where the men and mall security had once held the man, they now were piled on, with the man screaming. The gun had long since been relieved, but the threat now shown seemed to be more potent as the men where thrown back like rag dolls. Rising to his feet, the man looked down to Rogue and Jubilee with venom in his eyes. With a blur of motion he raced towards them, fists raised in anger. With practiced ease Rogue leapt up, still cradling her daughter, while guarding the father hand his own child as she kicked the man, grace given by a short burst of flight. The man fell back but quickly found his footing, standing off against Rogue. 

"That little brat cost me the gold mine this mall was!" The man yelled, tearing a table from it's foundation and heaving it over his head, finding his balance as he prepared to throw it. 

"That little brat is mah daughter, and Ah would advise ya don't go threatenin' her ya lousy polecat unless ya want me ta beat ya senseless!" Rogue shouted back, seething with anger as she carefully handed Jubilee to the father. 

The answer was given in thrown metal and wood, inhuman strength giving flight to the table as it flew at Rogue. No longer caring about hiding her mutant status, merely about stopping this fool while not idly flaunting her powers, she caught the table and carefully set it down, doing her best to not live up to the standards of destruction the X-men knew when facing off against far more threatening foes than this. As the man looked to her in awe, visibly taken aback, Rogue vanished in a burst of super sonic speed, appearing behind him and placing her arms about him. 

"Don't struggle sugah or Ah'll have ta knock ya out." Rogue growled, hefting the man off the ground as she took flight, hovering a foot above the ground. 

Gasps of astonishment were had, while whispers of the usual Mutant slurs were had through the crowd, but oddly enough, none holding the same malice and the more offensive not surfacing. Rogue looked about, only a sense of bewilderment held in the eyes of all, mixed with a healthy fear. Smiling, she held her grip with one hand, while releasing the other hand bending a lamp post about the man. Confidant that he wouldn't escape this time, she floated down and looked to the crowd, trying to gauge their reaction. 

"Miss? Your daughter?" The father asked, walking out of the crowd and passing through the void that had surrounded Rogue with her act of heroics. 

"Yeah?" Rogue asked cautiously, finding Jubilee having slipped into a state of unconsciousness, fear gripping her as she quickly took her and started calling her name, gently slapping her cheek. 

"Jubiee? Jubilee? C'mon Sugah, wake up for your Momma? Jubilee? Jubilation?" Rogue whispered, her voice growing more desperate with every breath. 

"I'm calling 911!" A woman called from the crowd. 

"Here! You can set her down here!" A man shouted, clearing a place on a bench while leaving his taking his sweat shirt off and rolling it into a rough pillow. 

Quickly Rogue rushed to the bench and placed Jubilee down on it, finding comfort that she was still breathing. People surrounded them at a safe distance, watching carefully as Rogue continued to try and rouse her daughter, though to no avail. Another man had taken to helping Emma to the scene, whose eyes burned with psonic energy as she focused on the girl. 

"I, I have her consciousness tethered. She slipped into a coma, though I don't know why. I recalled the memory of the butt to the head and it should not have caused this." Emma explained in a strained voice. 

"Jubiee?" Rogue whispered, tears filling her eyes as she looked to her daughter, using the nickname she alone used. 

As if alone upon a island, lost in a sea of humanity, Rogue watched her daughters even breaths, gently stroking her small hand in her own. She didn't even notice it when the paramedics finally came, not until the father had gently pulled her back, while another man helped Emma to her feet. As the two women embraced one another, drawing strength from the simple comfort of a hug, Rogue's gaze remained upon Jubilee's face, serene as if in a dream. 

"I'll go with the paramedics in the ambulance, okay?" Emma asked, looking to Rogue and finding a weak nod. 

"Ah know, ya need ta be close ta keep the tether. Ah'll be right behind ya." Rogue replied in a broken voice, breaking the embrace as Emma was helped along, keeping pace as best she could with the paramedics. 

"You need a lift miss?" The familiar face of the father asked, holding the hand of his son in his hand. 

"Thanks sugah, Ah'd appreciate that a lot. Ah don't think Ah would be up to drivin' right now." Rogue whispered, finding an arm placed about her as she was walked out of the man, a gesture that spoke volumes to those who the paternal fear of a child's suffering.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


"An amazing rescue at the mall averted what might have turned deadly when a miss Marie LeBeau, a school teacher at Young Minds Elementary, stopped a yet to be identified mutant pickpocket who exhibited super strength. While also displaying super strength, Mrs. LeBeau too displayed an ability of levitation and super speed. Mrs. LeBeau's daughter, Jubilation, was injured in the attack, after alerting patrons of the food court to the thefts occurring. She is currently in stable condition at an undisclosed location due to the families wishes." The voice of the announcer played over the TV in the private room that Remy had paid for, not wanting his daughter to be left in a room with various other people. 

Looking down to his wife sleeping in his arms, he let out a sigh as his gaze drifted to the slumbering form of his daughter, various machines keeping watch over her heart rate and other vital signs. The doctors had tended to cut upon her forehead, as well as having ran several other tests to determine why she had slipped into a coma, but no answer could be found. Looking to the woman slumbering next to her, Emma seemed rather peaceful, her eyes flickering with REM sleep. She had been able to form a tether to the girls mind, slipping into the complex mindscape of two girls, the former Jubilee and the latter. 

"How are they?" Asked one Robert Drake in a quiet voice as he eased into the room, holding two cups of coffee. 

"Your guess be as good as mine mon frere." Remy whispered back, taking the offered cup of coffee. 

Silence hung in the air, neither knowing how to break the uncomfortable void that stretched out between them, making four feet seem like four thousand miles. Bobby's mind raced with fears that one day he would have to face a day like this, his own child harmed by a world he could not control, an unknown ailment claiming them. He didn't know how Remy remained so calm, able to push past the worries that pushed himself to utter panic. Jubilee in both lives had always been close, and with finding out that all she had suffered through in her first life, he had always did his best to ensure she would never suffer like such again. Now he could only wish that he could be as good a father to his own child, as he was at being an Uncle and friend to his niece. 

"You going to be a great father Popsicle." Remy whispered, giving Bobby a wry grin as he took a sip of his coffee. 

"Thanks." Bobby whispered back, knowing that he must have 'Worried Uncle/Father figure' written upon his face. 

"Eh, what be friends for? You be as close to a brother as dis Cajun wants, and you 'ave always been de best Uncle I could 'ave ever longed for, always knowing dat you would treat de P'tit like your own." Remy whispered back, smiling down to his wife as she stirred a little in his arms. 

"That, that means a lot to me Gumbo. Thanks." Bobby whispered back, tears lingering in his eyes. 

Giving a small nod, Remy returned to watching Jubilee, every fiber in his body screaming that he should do something, but knowing that all that could be done was being done. Whatever battle being fought was being fought by a veteran, and by one person who was just as close to Jubilee as they all where, having tended to her as both Godmother and as Head Mistress of the Xavier School for Gifted Children. No one knew how to fight against the odds like Emma Frost, and few outside this room knew Jubilee as well as they did, with the exception of Logan, who was already on his way to the hospital having been called by Rogue. 

"G'night Gumbo." Bobby whispered, laying down on the sofa he had taken a seat upon. 

"G'night popsicle." Remy whispered, stretching out on his own sofa and laying down, thankful that he had been able to pull just the right strings to get them permission to stay over night. 

With one last thought, Remy mused of the amazing benefits that could be had with having done a few jobs for a few high caliber health insurance, companies that happened to pay hospital bills all over the country.   
  
  
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	15. Shadows of the Past

Disclaimer : Marvel Owns The X-men, I'm just borrowing them.  
  
-= Reborn =-  
  
  
  
Chapter Fourteen  
  
  
  
  
  
"When can I go home?" The very timid voice of one Jubilation LeBeau asked in the dank cell she found herself in, her knees drawn tight to her chin as she stared at the girl across from her.  
  
"Don't know Kiddo, but ya can be sure I'll be here for ya." One Jubilation Lee returned, still fumbling with the massive door before the pair, twisted out of proportion and veiled in menacing shadows.  
  
"How did I get here? And why do ya look so familiar?" The younger of the pair asked, finding herself at a loss of how she got here, her last memories of her mother and Aunt fighting someone.  
  
With the sound of a lock clicking open, the elder pushed at the massive rust-stained door, the hiss of hinges moving trailing off into the darkness beyond. Finally with the door thrown open, the elder looked to her junior and offered a hand.  
  
"C',mon Kiddo. We can't stay here for long. No tellin' what's lurking out in those shadows." Jubilation Lee replied, giving a warm smile to coax the girl from her fearful position in the back of the cell.  
  
Rising from her feet, Jubilation LeBeau took the hand of her elder, an odd sensation of familiarity returning to her as the grip was had. Memories of a desert long ago, another kind girl helping in an escape, and of a fearful man trying to break someone. Fighting to block out the foreign thoughts, she soon followed the older girl as they walked down the corridor.  
  
"I wish my Auntie Em was here, she'd know what ta do." Jubilation LeBeau remarked in a whisper, drawing closer to the older girl.  
  
"You and me both Kiddo." Jubilation Lee replied, glaring into the darkness and suddenly pausing.  
  
Freezing in place, knowing to draw shallow breaths, Jubilation LeBeau looked to the older girl as she raised her hand before her, a ball of light sputtering into existence, exactly as her mother would. Her question found no breath as she was suddenly thrown to the ground, the shadows erupting to life in the form of abysmal silhouettes.  
  
"Leave her alone!" The elder girl screamed, fighting as best as she could against the multitude of shadows attacking her.  
  
Cold hands clung to her, dragging her away from the older girl, her screams falling upon deaf ears. With a glance back she could see the cell door looming over head, her screams raising in pitch and fear as Jubilee thrashed against her attackers. Suddenly a noise rose above even her own panicked screams, while light filled the corridor, dispelling all the shadows, leaving twinkling balls of plasma floating like fireflies on a summer night. Scrambling to her knees, Jubilation LeBeau raced to where the girl had been, finding her laying upon the ground, beaten badly.  
  
"Hey, hey lady? Lady? C'mon, get up. Please? Please get up. Please? I don't want to be alone. Never alone, never again. Please?" Jubilation LeBeau whispered, the words striking home within her, yet never able to recall a time she had ever been alone, merely a fear rising from within fueling the tears threatening to break free.  
  
"Lady?" Came the sputtering reply, blue eyes opening, strikingly familiar, as if peering into ones own reflection in a mirror, except holding age beyond what they should know.  
  
Meekly, Jubilation LeBeau nodded, tears breaking free as she fell onto the girl, hugging her for all her worth. In silence the pair lay there, merely easing the others fears in a simple embrace. Little did either notice with the passing of each plasmoid hovering in the air that the shadows slowly returned, and at the end of the hall the glowing red eyes that slowly neared.  
  
-=+=-  
  
Waking from her slumber by the panicked beeping of the heart monitor, Emma rose from her dreams to find the others of her tightly knit family standing about the bed of Jubilee with fear radiating from their psyches. Just as she threw her legs over the sofa, the door burst open as a lab coat clad Henry McCoy burst in, a nurse at his heels protesting.  
  
"Madam, must I remind you that I am this child's doctor, and too have known her the entirety of her life. Now desist." Hank barked in a cold voice, stepping in as the others parted.  
  
"Oh Gawd am Ah evah glad yer here Hank." Rogue whispered, fighting for composure as Hank looked over the medical chart.  
  
"I came as soon as I could, I do apologize for my tardiness. Just as I feared, no physical ailments, merely psychological. Emma, are you still linked with Jubilation?" Hank remarked, looking up to already find Emma glazing over with psychic concentration as her mind slipped from the physical plane and to the astral.  
  
Silence fell over the room with the swiftness of a crashing wave, all eyes intent upon the pair as Bobby eased Emma into a chair beside Jubilee's bedside. Quickly the doctor who had presided over Jubilee's admittance entered the room, looking flustered at having his charge stolen. But with a look to the man who had taken his stead, whatever protests faded into a whisper, realizing that he was more than out of his league when compared to the knowledge and experience that the other held.  
  
-=+=-  
  
Drawing strength upon one another they fought together, back to back against the horde of shadows that had threatened to separate them. Raw psonic plasma flew out at the shadows from the elder and junior in this battle, memories slowly returning to Jubilation LeBeau of a life she had never known. A life known to her only in the dreams of countless nights, dreams forever vanishing with the mornings light.  
  
"How are we gonna get outta here!" Jubilation LeBeau asked, already tiring from the battle.  
  
"You don't wanna know, trust me." Jubilation Lee replied, sending a volley of plasmoids at a trio of shadows, watching their vanishing forms being taken up by ever increasing numbers.  
  
"Yeah I do!" Jubilation LeBeau replied, tripping a shadow and slamming a glowing fist into the silhouettes head.  
  
"One word. Bastion." Jubilation Lee remarked coldly, the silence accenting her words as the shadows vanished, leaving two very tired Jubilation's panting for breath.  
  
The even click of heel against stone echoed through the halls, while an scolding hiss could be heard nearing. From the shadows down the hall a form slowly grew out of the shadows, cold red eyes looking to the pair. Pausing before them, the familiar form of Bastion stood before them, the shadows boiling behind him with countless minions of this nightmarish plane.  
  
"Shit." Jubilation Lee hissed, helping Jubilation LeBeau to her feet and holding tightly to the younger girl.  
  
"Such language Miss Lee, and in front of such an innocent thing as this child. Do you need to be reminded of what such language acquired in our last meeting?" Bastion hissed, his voice cold and distorted.  
  
"Yeah, it got you beatin' up on kids in an unsuccessful attempt to break me!" Jubilee barked back, stepping in front of her younger as she put upon a defiant scowl.  
  
With a slow grin spreading across his twisted features, Bastion threw out his fist and backhanded Jubilation Lee across the face, a splash of blood arching against the wall. Turning back to Bastion with venom in her eyes, Jubilation Lee gently touched her face, finding a trail of blood trickling from her nose and down from her lips.  
  
"Oh, and this time there shall not be anyone to interrupt us. No meddling little girls helping you to escape, nor will your X-men come to your aid. It shall just be you and me and the child." Bastion replied clipped voice, giving a snap of his fingers as silhouettes took form in the shadows behind him.  
  
"You just try it, bub." Jubilee hissed, deadly balls of plasma eclipsing her fists as she readied for a fight.  
  
With a nod from Bastion the horde advanced, closing the gap between him and the Jubilation's. Yet out of the darkness a light soon came, cold as the Arctic winds and carrying a boiling hatred. Arches of Psonic energy tore out at shadows, dispelling them and their countless fellows, leaving only one in their passing, Bastion himself. With a glance back, Jubilation LeBeau found the person she had been hoping for, her Auntie Emma.  
  
"Touch either of them and I shall banish you, regardless of what strengths might have been gained by Jubilation's time spent in your twisted hands, to ensure that you can never be summoned again from those dark depths of her mind." Emma said in a flat voice, devoid of any emotion aside from a cold, seething rage.  
  
"Emma Frost, formerly the White Queen, though having reformed and now presiding over the Massachusetts Academy. However did you find my base?" Bastion asked in true shock.  
  
"Be gone puppet." Emma hissed, a dismissive gesture dispelling the shadow, her attention now falling over the shadows lurking about the trio.  
  
"Auntie Em, where are we?" Jubilation LeBeau asked, breaking free of her elder and running to her Aunt.  
  
"The Realm of Nightmares child, and we are leaving with as much haste as we can summon before it's Lord decides to pay a visit." Emma whispered, giving a look to the elder Jubilee.  
  
"See ya later Frosty." Jubilee remarked with a wink, her form fading as she vanished back into the subconscious, forever a guardian angel to the mind of her new self.  
  
Looking to the ghostly image of her former student, diamond tears fell from her eyes as a breathless 'Thank You' passed her lips, herself and Jubilation LeBeau fading from the dark corridor as they returned to the waking world. And with that passing a maniacal laughter rang out, the Lord of the Realm knowing another visit would need to be paid with the coming of the midnight hour of the night not yet passed. 


	16. Growing Pains

She awoke with a start, knowing something was missing that she had been clinging to dearly. Faces she knew looked onto her with concern as she felt welcome arms drawing her close to a strong chest, a chin on her shoulder that lent a sense of safety and welcome to her. Slowly Emma Frost recalled the events that had just passed, the astonishing revelation in that realm of the Lord of Nightmares. The steady beep of a heart monitor rose and fell amongst the soft whispers of her friends. Jubilation was safe, sleeping soundly next to her with the aged Wolvie doll in her arms.

"Emma!" Rogue cried out, hugging her friend dearly. She was on the brink of tears she could tell after the fit that had just happened. Reaching out to her Emma pressed her forehead to the distraught parent and passed along a vision of what she had seen on the psychic plane. The elder Jubilee looking over the younger Jubilation in that twisted realm of the Nightmare World. "Nightmare?" Rogue asked with anger lacing her voice, her eyes bleary and red with tears. "Shhh Rogue, please listen. I...I think he was trying to show us something albeit it in his own twisted way." Rogue looked on in incomprehension until once again Emma touched her brow to her own, memories flooding her mind as Emma gently narrated.

"_Years ago in Massachusetts Nightmare visited me, trying to comfort his worries that I couldn't help another to enter his realm with their corporeal form. His thanks was a prophetic nightmare that showed a glimpse of events to come, events I could hardly understand until they fatefully fell. The worst of these was the capture of Jubilee by Bastion. I...I think his torment of our dear Jubilation was to simply introduce the girl to the psconic ghost that lurks within her." _Emma could feel the anger that filled her friend, the need to lash out at the thing that had caused her daughter harm despite whatever benign intentions it might have. "_What's more, Jubilee talked to me. I...I think she was letting me know she'll be here for Jubilation." _The memories of that moment and the parting words of the deceased X-man flickered in Rogues mind, brining her to tears as she remembered the nine months her friend had dwelt on the edge of her consciousness.

Rogue rubbed away her tears as she took a calming breath, a hand resting on the cheek of the Godmother of her daughter before finally pulling free. Never once had she regretted her choice all those years ago despite all the candidates, and more so now she could only hope she could do the same when Emma finally bore a child of her own that would be along in the months to come. Words needn't be said between the pair, but to the gathered friends of the LeBeau family she felt required to say something. "Emma said she's fine, she'll be coming around anytime now." Pulling away from Emma she returned to her daughters side taking a seat on Remy's lap who held their child's hand tenderly. Giving him a kiss on his earlobe and a nuzzle of her nose against his chin she let him know they'd talk later with a soft whisper, knowing he had seen past the white lie she had told.

There were many she'd have to talk to later, those who were closest with the family and the girl for whom their daughter had earned her namesake from. But for now all she longed for were those loving eyes of her little girl to open up with the same piss and vinegar attitude that all of them shared. The hours slowly passed with many nodding off in their loved ones arms, some left with heartfelt wishes for the family as their obligations couldn't be held any further. Finally as the dawn slowly crept over the concrete canyon of the heart of New York the girl awoke with a start as she surged forward in bed.

"Auntie Em!" The last Jubilation LeBeau had remembered was a horrid realm of shadows and fighting, a girl older than her who looked so longingly familiar it hurt, and in the end her Aunt Emma tearing down the big bad monsters so that the biggest of them merely skulked off. The realization that she was no longer in the mall nor that nightmare realm left her confused until she spotted her mother and father next to her as they too started from their slumber. "Momma, Papa!" Her parents fell over her with loving embraces as the girl related her nightmares, remembered how stupid she had been at the mall, and even confessed to bending the rules of her grounding while staying with her Auntie and Uncle. Remy merely whispered promises of forgiveness in his ever rolling N'awlins accented french while Rogue just took the comfort having her safe.

Emma simply watched the reunion from the couch in the corner where her and her dear husband had settled in to watch the dawn. The two couldn't help but share a sense of fear at the thought of their own child lying in a hospital bed someday, their hands resting gently on Emma's stomach. It wasn't until the family doctor, one Henry McCoy discharged the girl from the hospital that any felt a sense of relief as they made their way to the limo, taking them home to the estate of Charles Xavier.

-=+=–=+=–=+=-

The nurse looked over the patient information with a care that seemed well beyond that of clinical detachment. Slowly she chewed away at her sandwich while filling out the paperwork that was needed for the discharge of a patient on another screen before returning to the former patient's information. Jubilation LeBeau, it had been a name she had known to watch out for among several others. The first part of her task would be easy enough, copying the information to a usb stick. It wasn't as if the hospital was Fort Knox. What came next would be more difficult more so with the family doctor's pull. The blood samples that had been taken were to be sent to his laboratory at the Baxter Building. Her client wanted those samples, it had all been outlined as she worked her way through nursing school with his patronage.

Simply saying they had been destroyed would raise too many questions she was sure, but really how much blood was there in a sample. Pulling a syringe out of her lab coat pocket she gathered a little bid of each of the three samples that had been taken for various tests. Placing the safety cap back on the needle she placed it down in her lunch bag right beside the ice pack. The end of her shift came painfully slow as she just longed to get this possibly career ending task tended to. The reply to her text message finally came in the form of a single character, a red diamond. She met him at an old walk in clinic a half hour taxi ride away from the hospital in one of the poorer sections of town.

"You have good news for me my dear?" The man always gave her the creeps, as if she was nothing more than something on a slide. "Here, one of the names you told me to watch out for came up." She handed over the usb stick and the needle, a sudden urged to wipe her hand down with hand sanitizer confronting her as she felt his hand brush against her own. "LeBeau?" She simply nodded. There were seven names in all, just last names to watch for, the foremost of these were Summers and then LeBeau. "Simply marvellous, I can't wait to see how that little pet project has been coming along. Good work." The way he said pet project sent a shiver down her spine, the girl was only nine for fuck sake. "Whatever, I'm off." The pale man watched the nurse leave his clinic, one of his many assets he had littered over the world, one never knew when such interesting events would lead to marvellous discoveries. Having lived since the Victorian Era, Nathaniel Essex was known for his patience.

-=+=–=+=–=+=-

"There she is!" Jubilation LeBeau cried out as she raced off to the playground ahead, seeing a startling familiar girl sitting on a swing as she blew bubbles with her gum. Behind her the others walked slowly, the strength of three of the foremost telepaths in the world allowing the extended family and friends of the LeBeau's ender their daughter's mindscape. Jubilation Lee waved to the others as they finally arrived, suddenly looking very shy despite her usual exuberant nature. "Long time guys." The younger of the girls looked to the elder with a smile, pumping her legs as she swung higher and higher. "You know them Lee?" The events of that nightmare realm had been a week ago now, and in the nights since she had enjoyed far more pleasant dreams with this friend who had suddenly visited her.

"We go way back." Lee joined the young LeBeau as she kicked her own legs, pumping to match the girl's vigour. Suddenly leaping from the swings, both girls landed with perfect poise before a man who looked utterly shocked, Logan. Before he knew it he was being hugged by both, the younger about his chest while the elder wrapped her arms about his neck, burying her face in his hair. LeBeau left his side and soon raced off to join her parents, leaving the elder Lee and her mentor alone. "Kid?" He pulled her into his arms, amazed at how real everything felt and smelt. "I'm okay Wolvie. Getting to play big Sister and all." She pulled her face from his neck and sniffled at him with red rimmed eyes. "It's different from Rogue, it feels kind of like being a guardian angel I guess, watching over her."

From the bench the LeBeau's watched the reunion with their daughter, fussing over her despite her protests. The others on the edge of the playground, simply enjoying the vision despite the tear-filled eyes of many. "C'mon Mrs Frost. Lets go say hi." Paige grabbed her elders hand as she walked down with Monet in tow as well. Slowly they all joined the reunion in their own time, while the young Jubilation LeBeau showed her new friend about to them all, asking Lee all sorts of questions about her.

In the hours that passed they picnicked and played and enjoyed telling stories. Finally an ethereal evening fell with the sky full of a rainbow of nebulas and galaxies that existed only in the psychic realm. Saying goodbye for most was painful, but in the end the young LeBeau eased all their worries with a few simple words. "See you tonight Lee!" The lone girl returned to the swing set and sat down, a sad smile on her lips as they slowly faded from this place. And with it the realm itself faded with her own form growing misty. It was all too much like a dream, no sense of time for her or anticipation. Just the comfort of this bright soul she shared and the glimpses of the life beyond the veil. Her mind settled down for a slumber, falling asleep with dreams of this girl's waking days dancing through her thoughts.

Years passed with the easy air of a movie it seemed, the younger girl waking her up now and again in this dreamscape to play or share tales of the days events. And on special occasions they would all come again to visit their friend who the had missed for so long, the big sister that always was watching over their little Jubilation.

-=+=–=+=–=+=-

"Mom! Why do I have to wear gloves!" Jubilation cried out in exasperation at the yellow leather gloves her mother was placing on her hands. "The other kids think I got cooties or something at school!" Marie LeBeau ignored the protests, her days of a teacher handling a classroom of up to thirty students making her own daughter seem a pleasure. "You're eleven years old now Jubilee and you're mah daughter. Until we know for sure we're going to play it safe now yah hear? Keep the gloves on and no necking that Parker boy you got a crush on." Jubilee could only grumble to herself as her mother make sure the elbow length gloves had slid all the way up.

Most parents at this age only had to explain why their kids were suddenly getting a little more buxom in places they hadn't been before or why they suddenly had hair in odd places. For the daughter of the LeBeau's her parents had to worry about a possible manifestation of their daughters genetic line which while so much like the original Jubilation had their own DNA entwined within it. Would she develop the afflicted skin her mother had known, the pyrotechnic abilities of her birthright, or even Remy's power? Until it happened they would wait with apprehension.

"Yeah, no necking boys until you're forty ma Ange." Remy remarked as he ruffled his daughters hair. Whatever would one day happen they knew it would come all too fast in the end, their only consolation knowing that this daughter of theirs had her own guardian angel looking out for her, that and the combined family of X-men lurking about the city of New York. "Oh my god Dad! I just had my hair perfect!" Stomping off to the washroom to mend her hair style the parents could only giggle at her between chaste kisses to one another.

"You babysitting for Emma, oui?" Remy asked as he picked up his duffle, off to consult for a rich client on his home security protocols. "Oui." Marie pecked him on the nose, enjoying how sharp he looked in a suit. "Evertt Angelo is truly their parents son, boy keeps me busy." The namesake of the two boys had been Emma's first choice of names when it came down to it, Robert readily agreeing to his blushing wife. The world had seemed to have settled down within the last handful of years and the husbands and wives of the X-men were enjoying the time to work on all those things the lives of Super Heros had left them little time to do.

"See you guys later!" Jubilee cried out as she slammed the door, ducking past her parents when they were too busy being gross. The school wasn't far from her home, her parents liked it that way, but even still she enjoyed the time to herself as she ran down the street dodging pedestrians. Speaking of the Parker boy she could see him up ahead, his skateboard lazily rolling down the street. Ben was a cute kid and smart too, he always helped her with her homework. Serious bonus there as Lee always seemed to just roll back to sleep every time she asked her for help with homework, honestly what was the use of having a girl in your head if she couldn't cheat on some homework. "Ben!"

Ben Parker knew that voice only belonged to one girl and he skidded his board to a halt as he turned about to wait for her to catch up. With a stomp of his foot it snapped up and he held it under his arm as they walked. "Hiya Jubes. What's with the gloves?" Jubilee groaned at the question, fearing the day ahead and the catcalls from the other girls. In her pocket she had a doctor's note from her Uncle Hank incase the teacher's started harassing her, even though she knew her mom had phoned the school ahead. "Don't ask, gotta wear them cause of some family medical history." Jubilee told the half truth that she hoped most would accept, thankfully it had been a few years since the events in the mall that had outed her family as Mutants.

They arrived at school just as the first bell was ringing. Peter and her ran off to their home room to try and get in before the teacher locked the door for the playing of the national anthem. Sliding into their seats they grinned broadly as their teacher offered them a chastising glare. "Miss LeBeau, Mister Parker. How is it that you two always seem to be the last to arrive in class?" Their peers let out a few jabs at their tardiness which they ignored as they found their homework from the night prior. Math was always Jubilation's worth subject, having been diagnosed with Dyscalculia. Ben was always ready to help her when she started struggling which saved their teacher Mister Foster from having to place her in a special education class. While Ben was the brains of the two, Jubilation was surely the brawn.

"I hate gym class." Ben was fussing with his shoe laces on the bench as the pair caught their breath from the laps. "I'm always picked last, picked on in dodge ball, and last in any of the races." Jubilee sipped from her water bottle while he ranted, he was one of those types that got frustrated and had to vent verbally. "Yeah, but you always come in first in everything else. I'm glad they haven't forced you to jump any grades and break up your dynamic duo." Jubilee gave the sullen boy a jovial pat on the back. Gym class used to be her favourite but for the first time ever she had an idea of how her friend felt.

Dressed in leggings and a long sleeved shirt with her gloves, she could feel the other kids looking at her whispering. "_Ignore them kiddo._" Lee whispered in her mind, a ghostly feeling of her arm over her shoulder as if she were sitting next to her. "Thanks Lee." Ben had met the ghostly girl only once when he had been invited to one of the holidays they'd have for her. He couldn't believe how cool it was to actually be inside his friends head, but even more so meeting her big Sister. "Hey Parker, careful you don't catch whatever she's got!" The cry came seconds before a ball was kicked directly into the boys head. The cadre of bullies laughed as he was knocked back and even more when he rose with his nose gushing blood.

Jubilee was seconds from lunging at the trio when she found herself shocked as Ben leapt at them clearing a distance that was inhumanly possible. The biggest of them fell with the smaller boy on his chest, flailing fists pounding at him while the other boys tried to pull him off. The whistle blew several times as the teacher finally raced over, struggling to get the rabid Parker off the bully. "Alright, break it up. You two, laps. James, get to the nurse you big twat. Parker, my office, I got an ice pack there." Coach Bennet had served in the military was the rumour, he ran his class like a drill instructor. But if there was one thing to be said of him it was that he was all seeing, all knowing, and always fair. "Join us Jubilation."

Bennet sat down with Ben and looked at his split and bleeding knuckles. Pulling out the rubbing alcohol and some gauze he cleaned and wrapped them up. "I told those idiots to lay off. Always the quiet ones you gotta watch out for. You okay Ben?" The boy looked angry and sad at the same time, tears in his eyes and a scowl on his lips. "Lets get a look at that nose." Jubilee watched him as he tended to her best friend, worrying over him. She had been seconds from clocking the bullies as she always did, despite all the jabs they'd throw at Ben about his 'girlfriend' fighting for him. It seemed this time Ben had enough of their antics.

"Jubilee, keep the ice on his knuckles to make sure they don't swell much more I'm going to call the office to see if we can't get his mother to pick him up." Bennet left he pair alone as he made the call from the principals office, clearing up the mishap that had taken place. "You okay Ben, first time I've ever seen you really mad." Jubilee hunched down to look into the boys downcast eyes, pulling a face to try and get even a hint of a smile out of him. "When did you learn to jump like that too, man I'd be hard pressed to make that." While he was far from clumsy, she never knew Ben to show any physical prowess beyond an unshakable balance that left her eating his dust when they got down to the skate park.

"I just had enough." Ben's voice was hardly more than a whisper. His parents had raised him to always use his words to get out of fights, but most time the bullies just used their fists. That was how Jubilee and he had first met, another group of bullies driven mad by his verbal jabs and jests as he tried to talk his way out of it. They jumped him and started beating on him. It was when the pain had stopped suddenly that he looked up to see this girl who couldn't be half their size just a blur as she danced about throwing kicks and punches until the older boys ran off crying. Jubilation LeBeau at your service, mon frere she had said offering him a hand. Since that day they had bee inseparable.

"Good news Ben, your mom is on her way to pick you up. I'm sure Miss LeBeau here can bring you're homework to you tonight knowing your studious nature. Now, as for punishment, no good deed they say. You want to throw punches, I'll show you how. But only with boxing gloves on. I'll phone your parents about it later to talk about it when things cool down. As for the rest of the boys, you tell me if they start bothering you again as they're on my shit list." Ben couldn't help it even as he wanted to be angry, hearing his teacher swear had his mouth agape while Jubilee simply squealed with delight.

Twenty minutes later the trio were walking to the front of the school. Mary Jane Parker sat on the hood of her car, arguing into her cellphone. Ben knew it must have been his dad, Peter, stuck working late again. As always his mom would finally find herself cut off, a smile on her face and then grumbling to herself about how the man could drive her so crazy at times yet still find some sweet way to tell her he loved her. "Well if it isn't my little tiger cub, bite off a bit more than you could chew?" She hugged Ben tightly, picking him off the ground despite how he balked that the other kids could see.

"You should have seen him Miss Parker! He totally jumped them after they kicked a soccer ball in his face. Had to have been nearly twenty feet! They never saw it coming..." Jubilee paused as she recognized a fearful look spark in MJ's eyes. "Um, anyways I gotta go, I'll stop by on my way home with his homework and we can study together." There was something too familiar with that look in her eyes, a panic she had seen before but couldn't place. Something that said she had been waiting for this shoe to drop. Was Ben a mutant too Jubilee started to wonder as she walked back to class.

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The car ride home was had in an awkward silence that left Ben worried. His mom was normally not one to look so nervous and worried. "Your dad has to work late again tonight, he said to order whatever you want for dinner, so what will it be cub? Pizza, Thai, or some burgers from the diner?" His dad was always working late, he wondered what kept him so busy as the editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle. He heard from his mom that his dad used to be a photographer who made a name for himself covering Spider-man. Then Mister Jameson was diagnosed with cancer, passing on shortly later but not before he handed the reigns of the paper he owned over to Peter, leaving ownership to Betty Brandt, his long time secretary.

"Thai." Ben could feel the throbbing in his knuckles, but worse was a pain in his chest. Maybe James and the others got some punches in when he hadn't realized. MJ pulled into their drive, gathering up his school bag and heading into the house. Ben followed behind, closing his door only to find his hand stuck. It took three tries to pry it off the car before he finally made his way in. It was mid afternoon by the time Jubilee came by with his homework, looking out of breath as she probably had ran all the way here. He never had known anyone so full of energy that they'd spend so much time burning it off as her, but it running, skating or gymnastics.

"Ben has voted for Thai, you're welcome to stay for dinner if you want." Thai sounded awesome and Jubilee hastily phoned her mom to let her know she'd be staying over at the Parker's. The giggling in the background left her gagging as she pictured her parents getting all touchy with the news they'd have the place to themselves for a while longer. Lee was chuckling in her mind at the young LeBeau's discomfort. The two did their homework while MJ phoned clients, the former actress settling in for a life as an agent now that she had a child of her own. How funny their lives had turned out now, MJ mused as she looked down at the two kids in her living room pouring over their notebooks. She worried about her little Ben after hearing what had happened in school earlier, wondering how to talk to him about a side of his Father he never knew.

It sounded all too much like Peter that she knew they as a family would have to sit down to break the news to him. Too bad Peter was working late tonight, though not as the editor-in-chief as she lied, but as the hero Spiderman out looking into some nefarious dealings he had uncovered through some tips his reporters had brought in. Lost in thought she hadn't even realized how much time had passed until the doorbell rang, Ben telling her the Thai had arrived.

"So Jubilee, why the long gloves?" The young girl grumpily chewed her mouthful, swallowing it down with a glass of water. "It's a mutant thing Miss Parker. Something that ran in my mom's side of the gene pool was some bad voodoo, so she's keeping me covered up to make sure nothing bad happens." Mary Jane knew more than she let on, having heard about her husbands days with the Avengers, Fantastic Four and encounters with the X-men. When the LeBeau's had moved in a few blocks away she had learnt of the tragic history of the couple, while keeping the secret of her husbands true identity and feigning ignorance when she had eventually been invited over for drinks with Marie.

Most parents considered the possibility of a mutant in their children right up there with sexual orientation, a bridge to be crossed if it happened among the more open minded. But with Peter Parker as Ben's father, she felt the worry of a mutation in him a bit closer to him, not out of shame just more out of concern for how he'd adjust to it if it happened. Sipping her wine she started wondering if it hadn't already started.

"I gotta say you and Mister P are so cool to hang out with, I gotta keep the whole Mutant thing on the down low most of the time." Stealing a shrimp from Ben she elbowed him in his side. "Earth to Ben, your food is getting cold." The boy had been staring down at his plate for the past five minutes having hardly touched it. His face seemed to be growing paler by the second until finally he bolted from his chair and raced to the washroom. "Ben!" The wretch they heard made both of them pale a little as they pushed the plates away. "Gross, you think we got some bad Thai?"

Ben finally emerged twenty minutes later, pale and cold. MJ was on the phone to the Thai shop while Jubilee sat down outside the door to the washroom, her arms wrapped about her knees. "You okay dude? I think your mom and I dodged that bullet on the bad Thai. Oh, here, take this." Jubilee held up a glass of ice water and a couple pills for his nausea. "Thank you Jubes. I...I'm going to go to bed." He could feel her eyes on him as he trudged to his room, not even turning the light on as he stripped into his pyjama's. He heard Jubilee at his door wishing him to get well soon and saying goodnight, a mumble of a reply was all he could afford.

His chest felt like it was trying to tear itself apart while his stomach was in knots. Whatever was happening to him wasn't bad Thai he realized as he fell into a fitful slumber. The pain grew so bad he couldn't even sleep, he was just about to wake his mom up when he was sent lurching against the floor, screaming in pain. He had to be having a nightmare he realized as arms burst from his chest, two additional sets unremarkable from his own. Backing against the wall he kept pushing until he realized the impossible, he was stuck to the ceiling. Looking down at his room below he saw his mother throw open the door and cry out in shock, racing to his side.

"Ben! Ben are you alright baby?" Showing the strength a mother could wield when her baby was in danger she ripped him from the ceiling and held him tight as she ran out to her office. Fumbling for her cell she dialled a number only a few people knew, hoping she wasn't calling her husband at a bad time. Ben had no idea who she was calling, he just held onto her as he fought the tears that welled into his eyes. "Tiger, as long as you aren't in anything life or death get your ass home now!" Mary Jane yelled into the phone, hearing a brawl in the background. "Okay, we can wait that long. Maybe you should call Hank too, just to be safe." Mary Jane nodded a few times hearing something smash and her husband assure her it was the other guy and not him. "Okay, you do that. I'm going to call the LeBeau's, see if they can come over to help Ben. Having someone to talk about what's happening to him might help."

It wasn't until he heard the name of the LeBeau's mentioned that it really sunk into him that it was true, he was a mutant. "How are you baby? Guess it wasn't the Thai food after all cub. You want some water?" Mary Jane walked out to the kitchen with her child easily clinging to her as she dialled another number. It was two in the morning she realized but that was what being a parent was all about. "I'm so sorry Marie, could you and the family come over. I need some help with Ben, yeah, yeah Jubilee told you about the Thai? Oh, no it wasn't that in the end. I just think now he could use someone to talk to that knows what he's going through, I, I don't really want to say much more over the phone if you catch my meaning. Yeah, yeah, thanks a million Marie."

"Here you go baby, your Daddy is bringing a doctor friend of his to have a look at you to make sure you're all good. The LeBeau's will be here in ten, so why don't we go sit on the couch." Mary Jane walked to the front door and turned off the alarm and unlocked the door before retiring to the couch with her son. From the little she knew of the Mister of House LeBeau it was more a politeness than a necessity given his trade, both legal and otherwise. "Am I a mutant mom?" The pain in his voice nearly broke her heart as she looked down into his tear-filled eyes. "It looks like it my little tiger cub, and there's nothing wrong with that." "Do you think Dad is going to be mad?" It took every ounce of her being not to laugh at that question as her son wouldn't realize how funny it was just now. "No, your Dad and I both love you very much. Until he gets home I'm sure you can ask Jubilee's parents all sorts of questions if you need to, or you can just sit there snug as a bug in a rug in my arms."

The knock came minutes later, surprising Mary as she hadn't heard a car, then realizing that Marie probably flew the family over in the haste of the moment. "Come in." Remy held a sleeping Jubilee on his back in a piggyback while Marie followed on the phone. "Yeah Hank, I'm here now, yeah, I wasn't wrong. Get Kurt to get your butt over here pronto." Ben looked to the family friends of the Parkers as they settled in. "So Ben Sugah, how are ya feeling?" "Sore, queasy, scared." He looked at the sleeping Jubilee, remembering how deeply the girl slept after a few times over at her house. It wasn't until he had met Lee that he knew the truth of these deep slumbers, the two sisters catching up.

Minutes later the room was filled with a stench that had Ben wretch into a waste bin as three men appeared in their living room. As he looked up from the waste bin he recognized both of Jubilee's uncles but had no idea why the third was there until his mom spoke. "Well Tiger, I guess it's time for a little show and tell. Everyone, it's not that we didn't trust you, we...we just wanted to try and keep it on the down low." His mom only called one person tiger as he stared at the Spiderman. It all made sense now as the mask was pulled off, revealing the face of his father, Peter Parker. "Hi Son."

-=+=–=+=–=+=-

"And then he totally just jumped the three of them and went balls to the wall Fight Club!" LeBeau remarked to her elder Sister Lee, the pair having since upgraded he playground of their mind to have a more carnival appearance including their favourite game, bumper cars. "Little Ben Parker, no way!" These dreams were the best at the end of a long week, when the daughter of the LeBeau's caught up with her big Sister all the day weeks events that she had slept through for the most part beyond rousing now and again when emotions were running high. Suddenly over the PA system of the carnival they could hear their friend and mother calling the younger LeBeau's name in full. "Guess you better go kiddo, sounds like something's up."

Hugging each other, Jubilation left Lee behind as the carnival world faded for the both of them as Lee feel into that waking dreamlike state while Jubilee LeBeau blinked away some sleep in her eyes finding she hadn't been in her bed, but her father's lap. "What's up Papa?" Looking around she realized she was in the Parker Household, and it was then that she noticed little Ben with her Uncle Hank taking his pulse times six with some help. "Oh dude no way!" Ben offered her a smile as he sat in his own mothers lap, his father next to him...wearing what looked like the Spiderman costume! "Oh my god your Dad is Spiderman! That is so cool! Why didn't you tell me?" "I didn't know!" Her friend retorted, breaking out into a nervous laughter. The two teens exchanged banter while the adults carried on their business, taking comfort in the everyday feeling it held.

"Mister and Misses Parker, as far as I can tell from here your son is in perfect health. If you wish we can arrange a more in depth physical at the Baxter Building which I would highly recommend. Though from what I can see it would appear your son has inherited his fathers increased strength if what he did to my force gauge was any benchmark, the ability to climb as only a spider can, and two extra pairs of perfectly healthy arms." Her best bud was a mutant too, and not only that his Dad was Spiderman. Lee had easily roused from the slumber to join in the excitement, telling her of times she had apparently ran into Spiderman back in the day. Sometimes it was too cool and weird at the same time having a ghost in your head.

Mister Parker was on the phone, sounding apologetic and then thankful to whomever it was. "Alright son of mine, get ready to meet the Fantastic Four. Oh, uh, bring the wastebin, you might need it." Jubilee watched as everyone was told to hold hands together, then realized what was going to happen. When the distance wasn't too great Kurt could teleport more people, and it was only across town so it wouldn't be that hard for him. Just as the characteristic bamf burst forth, Peter thought to ask a question that sounded from the lobby of the Baxter Building's 30th floor reception, "Did anyone lock up the house?" He was quickly drowned out by his son as he added to the wastebin.

As Ben finally found control of his stomach he saw the legendary team of superheros before him, the Fantastic Four, which as he learned now his father was a reserve member of! The families were ushered in to the lab by Hank as he loped on ahead until he found Reed Richards waiting by a bedside with his wife. "Uh, Hi guys, so, yeah." Peter started, realizing another bit of show and tell was to be had. The allies quickly set about getting everything set up for the brilliant minds in the room to truly dispel any doubt of illness or the likes from Ben's mutation while the rest just gossiped and did their best to make him feel like it was nothing more than an ordinary checkup.

"Jubilee, you've grown!" Ben looked over to where the voice had come from only to find a green and pink pair of men racing up to the girl. "Leech, Artie!" The men were easily in their mid twenties with the build of football players despite being dressed in lab coats. "Ben, these are my cousins! Not really, but totally are! What are you two doing here?" As it was told between Leech narrating and Artie creating pictures in the air, they had apparently gone to school for engineering and were now lab assistants for Mister Fantastic. "Nice to meet you Ben." Leech said, shaking the teens hand while his friend Artie made a large smiley face in the air, shaking his hand too. With all the distractions Ben hardly noticed when Jubilee's uncle Hank came in with Mister Fantastic and his dad. "Ready when you are son." Peter said, offering his hand.

The tests were straight out of some sci-fi movie, nothing but scanners and full body scans to huge screens. He could see Jubilee up in a viewing room with the others, fogging up the glass to draw silly pictures for his sake. It helped a lot wit how nervous he was. He never knew his dad was so smart too, listening to him talk with Mister Fantastic and Hank about him. He always thought of his father as a newspaper man, forgetting that he had gone to university for the sciences. After what seemed like hours they finally gave him the verdict as he sat in an office with everyone. "My boy, you're perfectly fine, your genetic structure has stabilized after the manifestation of your mutation."

He could feel the relief in the room at this news, his parents hugging him while his mom kissed his head several times to his dismay. "In other news, the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters would like to offer you a scholarship there to better allow you to learn in an environment where you needed worry about the persecution of your heritage." Looking down at his six arms, Ben honestly couldn't be happier with this having had enough trouble with bullies in his old school. "Will Jubilee be there?"

The LeBeau's looked to one another and then the Parker's. "Well we were hoping that we wouldn't have to worry about it for another year or so, but sunovagun if we're letting Ben head off without any friends to a new school." The pair of teens simply smiled at one another, feeling the late hour. "So that means I don't have to go to school tomorrow?" Jubilee asked with a yawn, earning a laugh.

-=+=–=+=–=+=-

The pair had finished off their school year at home via correspondence classes, Marie acting as tutor to them both with Hank or Peter popping in for the science assignments. It was agreed that they would move in on summer break to let Ben get used to the school while many of the fellow students would be away. Jubilee felt like it was a homecoming having spent so much time here growing up, while Lee whispered in her ear of her days with the X-men. Jubilation LeBeau had still yet to manifest despite confirmation of an active X-gene, so she still wore the long gloves and all the array of clothes her mother packed her to keep her from accidentally touching skin aside from the regular checks with her Uncle Wolvie.

"Argh! I just want to get it over with!" Jubilation cried out one day as she and Ben were skating down the paths of the estate, her on her blades while Ben favoured his board. "Careful what you wish for Jubes, look at me, rocking six arms." Ben had quickly grown accustomed to his mutation as the son of Spiderman, more so how much stronger he was after always being a rather small and weak boy. Hitting a rail he slid down the path watching Jubilee race past him in a blur. It seemed some of the other students were equally interested in blading and boarding and had added a few additions to the path over the years.

Ben raced after his friend as she outpaced him, nearing the small lake down at the end of the trail. His breath hitched in his throat as he watched her jump the path and clear the grass that stood between them and the dock. Somehow she kept her balance on the old wooden boards of the dock before kicking off and flying into the lake with a yipee belted out at the top of her lungs. Ben suddenly wished he had a set of the web shooters his dad had made as he used his new found strength to copy his friend, though no where near as graceful as he botched his landing and only a last second somersault kept him from face planting the dock. Landing in the cold water he broke the surface with a gasp of how cold it was, his friend swimming up to him.

"Do you trust me Ben?" Jubilee asked, biting her lip. "Of course LeBeau." Ben had no idea why she had asked that question, the countless times she beat up his bullies proving how loyal she was. It was when he felt her lips press against his that he realized what she had been asking. It felt warm and soft, and for a moment he had worried her mothers curse might have been affecting him until he realized it was just the shock of the kiss that had him feeling as if his life was draining from him. Wrapping his arms about his friend, which he had many of, the kiss deepened in that clumsy way only kids could pull off as they treaded water.

Finally coming up for air in more ways than one they swam to the dock, Ben easily pulling the pair out of the water as they sat there drenched. Jubilation could hear Lee howling in her mind, cheering her on. Lying down on the deck they stared up at the clouds, holding hands as they simply enjoyed the quiet moment together on this amazing summer day. The sun was setting when both realized how cold they were, having talked away the afternoon about all the silly things they could think of. Ben was about to offer Jubilation his shirt when he realized how futile that offer would have been, good intentions aside.

"_Looks like you two could use a couple towels._" At the start of the dock stood one Jonothon Starsmore holding a couple of beach towels. Beside him stood someone both Jubilation and Lee were still growing to know, the mysterious X-23, Laura Kinney. From the rumours floating around the school the pair were dating. Either teen accepted the towels with thanks, Jubilee turning her back to them all as she took off her drenched shirt leaving her in nothing more than a bra, wrapped un in a cozy towel. Ben followed suit with a struggle dealing with so many arms, as well as the realization that the girl he had just kissed was a step away from being absolutely indecent.

"Uh, Hi Laura, how's Uncle Wolvie?" After everything that happened in her young life, Jubilation found it weird that she was nervous talking to a girl clone of her Uncle. "He is fine, I believe I saw him working on his Harley." Even Lee seemed to back off from the mysterious clone, as the young LeBeau found out the ghostly girl was beside herself with grief after hearing about everything Laura had been through at the hands of some Weapon X reboot and her escape to New York where Logan had eventually found her. Jubilation had never seen her big sis so sad before that it left her feeling awkward about the woman known to most as simply X.

"_Hi Lee, keeping our little sister out of trouble?" _Jono was one of the few to directly talk to Lee this way, and he only did it when Jubilee expected it. Her big Sister told her stories about the school in Massachusetts, about Jono and Paige and Monet. She told stories about Everett too and Angelo, but she always looked so sad after that the younger LeBeau shied from them knowing the two boys had died young, now honoured in name as her baby cousin. It was funny really how she considered Paige and Monet aunts, but Jono seemed so much like a big brother that it just felt natural when he talked to Lee this way. "_Puhlease Jono, girls got to make her own way. You know if some big bad comes by I'll help her kick some serious arse Logan Style." _From the way Jono's eyes crinkled she knew he was smiling, drawing Laura closer to him as the four of them made their way back to the school.

A fire was burning in a brazier on the patio as they arrived, a cooler of beers and soda pops of every flavour to be had. Uncles and Aunts sat about the fire, resident students playing a game of extreme volley ball complete with powers. Jubilation watched as Ben's eyes light up at the prospect of the game. "Go have fun you crazy brainiac, show them what six arms can do for that sport." The grin he gave her as he bounded off was all she needed, sitting next to her Uncle Logan and fishing out a grape soda. "Darlings." Ever since he found out the truth, he always greeted them the same way, equally loved. Jubilee could feel her elder's ghostly touch, her arms wrapped about her in a sisterly hug as she lived through her vicariously. These were her favourite moments, the gush of emotions from the ghostly teen leaving her awestruck.

"She says Hi Uncle Wolvie." It's all she ever needed to say, smiling at the way his eyes misted up and ruffled her hair adoringly. She loved the way he watched Ben too, the stories he told the pair about his days with Peter Parker and holding that secret he had known for all these years. Ben was having a blast out there, showing up the other students with acrobatic tricks she'd have no way of pulling off without having six arms and super strength. It was like watching a flower bloom, as lame as she thought that sounded, finally able to be himself for the world to see.

"Just be patient Darlin', it'll happen when it happens." Darlin' meant her alone, Lee had passed on the namesake gladly. "I know Uncle Wolvie, I just want to get it over with so Momma and Papa can stop sitting on pins and needles." She called her parents daily, saw them on weekends with the Parkers. Peter and Mary Jane looked as if a weight had been taken off of them with the truth finally out amongst friends. It was always enjoyable watching her best bud Ben and his Dad training, the elder Parker showing his son all the tricks it needed to be a second generation Webhead. "It's weird, I want it to be over but at the same time I'm scared. If it wasn't for Lee I think I'd be a wreck." The ghostly embrace felt warmer, her big Sister having told her about her own manifestation.

"I know Darlin', just remember we're all here for you. Whatever happens you don't need to be afraid." That was the truth, so many of them had been alone when it happened that it was rare for a mutant to have such a feeling of support and knowledge about this fate of genetics. Just like Ben she realized with a smile, watching as he scored yet another point for his team to the vexation of the rivals. Snuggling into her oversized towel and enjoying the heat of the fire and the ghostly embrace of her big Sister, Jubilation LeBeau was just starting to nod off when an amplified coughing disturbed her.

"I am sorry to disturb the evenings festivities, but I felt I could not ask this next question without your knowledge, while too the ever loving Charles Xavier promised me he would relay this to those who could not be here on this very lovely summer evening. I, Henry "Hank" P. McCoy do ask you, Paige Elisabeth Guthrie for your hand in marriage." Ben took a volleyball to the head in the confusion that had erupted, the rival team earning a point much to their jocular enjoyment. The wave of emotions that burst forth from the grounds must have been felt by telepaths the world over, ever so as the lady in question, known by the codename Husk finally found her breath. "Of course Hank!" Finally the crowd found the pair up on the roof of Xavier's holding hands against the starlight, Henry holding a microphone in one hand as he stole a kiss from Paige. The cheers that rose up to the heavens that night must have been heard for miles around.

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"Oh my god and then Uncle Hank asked Auntie Paige to marry him! It was so romantic!" Despite having witnessed the scene due to the enhanced telepathic powers of Xavier using Cerebro whilst tying his efforts with Emma Frost and Jean Grey, Rogue simply sat and enjoyed listening to her daughter babble on about the night in question. Her daughters first kiss and her long time friends cumulation of their courtship, it left butterflies in her stomach and a very randy urge to find Remy and disappear for the afternoon. "I'll forgive ya this time, but remember what I said about neckin' that Parker boy?" Rogue ruffled her daughters hair, teasing her as she knew now that nothing had happened beyond sparks flying so to speak.

"Yes Momma!" Jubilation groaned as yet again she wished her manifestation would finally rear it's ugly head just to get it over with. Mary Jane sat next to the mother and daughter listening intently, equally enthralled by the story despite having been privy to it via telepathy, though only learning of her son's first kiss by the dopey grin he had every time he looked at his now apparent girlfriend Jubilation LeBeau. Why did it not surprise her that it would be a feisty female to finally bring a Parker boy out of his shell. "Anyways I have to go meet Ben down in the Danger Room with Uncle Wolvie and Mister Parker. We're doing twos, Uncle Wolvie and Ben verses me and Mister Parker."

It was another few weeks until the summer break would be over and classes would start again, so the students were enjoying themselves as much as they could. In this case it was full on powers hoops, even though the young Jubilation had yet to manifest, she simply made up for it with gymnastic talent and the fighting skills lent to her by Lee, protege of such notable combatants as Logan, Remy and Sean Cassidy. "You think we should get the ice packs ready?" Mary Jane asked. "Girl, the only ones that'll need it will be the Parker clan." Marie laughed as she went to the fridge to check that some were tucked away in the freezer.

The Danger Room was the training centre of at least three generations of X-men, ranging from the first class on to the latest children that had grown up in the shadows of those knowing the auspice of the New Mutants and Generation Next. Despite the technological marvels and alien technology that went into it, right now it was nothing more than a single basketball hoop with two pairs facing off against one another.

The fighting was fierce, the legends that were Spiderman and the Wolverine holding little back as they fought one another for control of the ball. Between their juniors, Ben quickly learnt that Jubilee was just as dedicated and that he'd have to be creative if he was going to have to win this, several times being knocked on his arse by a fast leg sweep or sneaky trip from Jubilation LeBeau. Up in the control room several students watched the match cheering on, calling dibs on the next game and taking bets of chore duties and junk food wagers.

"Isn't it really three on two?" One of the Stepford Cuckoo's asked, Mindee, watching as a psonic ghost of the late Jubilation Lee followed her younger along the court, lending experience to the little sister that was beyond her years. "Eh, who cares. I'm more in it for watching Spiderman and Logan kick each others butts." Santo remarked as the aforementioned webhead sent the Canadian brawler into the wall with a check that would have been illegal anywhere else. With thirty seconds left on the game Jubilation broke away for one last dunk to break the tie, the elder Parker spending the last of his web shooters to snarl up his son and comrade for vital seconds.

"Oh yeah! Whose bad, we bad!" Jubilation cried out at the behest of Lee, dancing about the court. "Uh, Jubes, you're glowing." Ben said. "Awww, thanks hon." Jubilation replied as she continued her victory dance. It wasn't until she felt her big sisters rising panic that she realized he hadn't been just flirting. "No, I mean you're glowing!" Sparkling dazzling lights fell off Jubilation, all too familiar that knew her mother or her namesake. But something was very different in that the lights encompassed her whole body, her silhouette blinding anyone who looked at her. Even more disconcerting was a wave of psonic energy that was erupting from the girl, leaving the telepathic X-men and students fighting to block out the psychic force that assaulted their minds.

With one final flash of light the systems of the Danger Room failed, emergency lighting coming on far too many seconds later as those around struggled to see. The Stepford Cuckoo's were the first to notice something was a miss as they struggled past the pain. "Why does Lee look different." Celeste asked aloud. "Why am I seeing double." Santo added later, the red gloom of the emergency lighting leaving the cavernous void in a sinister light. "You're not...there are two Jubilee's down there." Dusk added, a shock rippling through the students as they wondered what it was they had just witnessed.

"Santo, get the door to the Danger Room open, there's a crank on the outside behind the panel marked Emergency. The Stepford Cuckoo's were the protege's of Emma Frost, groomed by their Mistress to know the responsibilities that came with their powers. They would not disappoint her now as they barked orders and called out with their telepathic power to inform those who needed to know what had just happened. They could see Logan and Mister Parker checking the vital signs of the now two girls down there, indistinguishable from one another as much as the Cuckoo's were. Mindee called out to Ben, trying to help the boy who seemed utterly on the brink of panic. "_Ben, show her your love by being strong, she needs you right now just as you needed everyone on the day you manifested."_ She felt his mind struggle with the rise of bile in his throat, force his racing heart to still until he could finally get his feet working again.

Light from the hallway beyond spilt into the Danger Room, Logan holding one girl while Peter held another. The pair raced on through the door while Ben simply yelled a Thanks to Santo as he followed his father. The infirmary was blessedly empty as they finally stumbled in, placing the two girls down onto waiting beds, the psonic whispers of the Cuckoo's letting them know that Henry and others would be there in mere moments. The doors slammed open as Henry raced in with Marie on his heels, astonishment and panic in her eyes as she looked to two girls that looked exactly like her daughter.

"Momma?" The girl to the right of Logan asked, rousing first only to be gently hushed and told to lie still. "What happened Momma? Ben said I was glowing, did I manifest?" Fighting the tears that welled in her eyes Marie fought every instinct and calmly walked to the bedside of her daughter, holding her hand and stroking her cheek. "I think ya did Jubiee." She had no idea what was happening now, but had to be brave for her daughter's sake just as they had all been for Ben only weeks ago. "I, I can feel Lee Momma, but it's different. She feels far away Momma." The door slammed open again as Remy Lebeau raced in followed by the surviving members of Generation X including the Headmistress and her husband. "Merde."

Remy raced to his daughter's side while Emma ran to the other girl, both knowing something strange had occurred. Jubilation looked over to her Auntie, shocked at what she saw. "Momma, Pappa, what am I doing over there?" The girl started to panic as they held her down, whispering all the assurances that she was right where she was, showing her a mirror to let her see herself and see that everything was fine. "But if I'm here, whose there?" It was only after this question that she wondered at why Lee felt so far away now rather than that cozy place that had been in her head for all these years. "Lee?"

"Yes Jubilation, I can feel her here. It seems your big sister has come out for a visit." Emma looked astonished as she focussed her mind on that of the girl before her. Despite the lives that the X-men had lived, Paige fainted on the spot only to be caught by her betrothed, while Jono actually cried with Monet and Laura both doing their best to comfort the moody repository for psonic energy. Logan seemed shaken the most, torn between his niece and his ever daughterly friend. "Go Uncle Wolvie, say hi to Lee." The tears in his nieces eyes could have been mistaken for sadness had he not seen that smile on her face, seen the way she held her parents hands so lovingly.

He walked next to the bedside and sat with Emma, unabashed tears falling form his eyes as he gently stroked an errant lock of hair from her eyes. She lay there as if asleep, expressionless and dreamless. "Lee, Kiddo?" Logan asked, an honest sniffle erupting from his nose as he felt Emma take his free hand. "Jubilee?" He got no response again, his heart breaking as he imagined all the things that could have gone wrong with this miracle. His chest heaving he fell upon her hugging her to him, feeling Emma drape an arm about his shoulder as she joined him in the embrace.

Jubilation LeBeau could feel Lee, could feel how confused her sister was right now. Trying with all her might she struggled to find the girl and show her everything that was happening. She was almost ready to break down in tears when she felt it click, that same old warmth in her mind, the love she had known all these years flooding back. Bleary eyed and speechless she watched as the other girl across from her slowly raised an arm up, a hoarse croak rising above the moment to whisper, "Wolvie?"

It was surreal watching herself from across the room, her parents holding her tight while her uncle and aunt held her too. The voice so much like her own was different slightly, an accent that she couldn't place. It was Jubilation Lee after all these years finding her own voice again, feeling the very real touch of the man who was a father to her crying against her. And Jubilation LeBeau felt all of this through that connection she had known since she was a frightened little girl having bad dreams only to have this blue eyed girl save her. It was her Sister being reborn.


	17. Hero of the Day

It had been a week since the miracle, a week in which Jubilation Lee lay in the infirmary drifting in and out of consciousness. Jubilation LeBeau visited daily with her parents, sitting with the girl when she slept and talking in hushed tones when she woke. She looked so much younger than she remembered LeBeau thought, the girl she had known in her mind older and full of experience, but instead the girl before her was like looking into a mirror. Regardless this big sister of hers, the girl who always just left her in awe with all the secrets she shared, had fallen out of her mind the day she manifested.

The tests had come and gone, exercises to try and find out what her mutation was, and it was at the same time so much what they expected and yet nothing like what they imagined. Jubilation LeBeau was a psonic mutant, not so much like her big brother Jono, but instead a twist of her fathers traits let her charge an object with psonic energy that would erupt so much like his kinetic charges. No sign of her mothers mutation were seen, but hearing how awful it had been for her Momma she was glad she had taken after her father. Yet the other proverbial shoe to drop was Lee, bedridden and weak they had no idea how it had happened that the girl had been reborn so, the only truths known was that she shared a psychic rapport with her sister.

"Hi Lee!" Jubilee called out, seeing the girl awake as she walked into the infirmary with her parents in tow. Her Auntie Pagie was sitting with Lee, showing off her engagement ring for her wayward teammate. It had been so funny showing Lee the memory of Auntie Paige fainting, the warmth and mental giggling her sister had done through their rapport had her laughing aloud that day. She looked better today, sitting up on her own and looking so much more awake now. Her Uncle Hank still had no theory for what had happened, striving to explain this mystery as if it were a personal affront to his reputation as a top genius of the world. But all the LeBeau's had to hear was that Jubilation Lee was healthy if just a bit malnourished. The girl was family now and damned if their newest daughter was going to be wasting away.

"Sugarbombs in chocolate milk with syrup, melon to give it the appearance of a healthy breakfast, and a tall glass of milk." Marie lay the tray down on Lee's lap, slapping at her other daughters hand as she saw the girl reaching for a slice of melon. Watching her newest daughter dig in hungrily it reminded her too much of all those years ago when she had first known the firecracker that had come home with Logan. Her hair was longer like her daughters, and she hadn't been wearing all the gaudy clothes Logan had bought her in their travels. But if she looked at her just right she could see that little hellcat that cared so much for Logan and eyed any lady that got close to the Canadian as a rival that it simply amazed her.

"You know what this means Chere?" Remy asked of her, stealing a chaste kiss. "What's that Father of my children?" It felt so amazing suddenly having two daughters Marie mused, hugging Jubilee in her arms as the girl talked with Lee. "I have de cutest little twin girls dis t'ief has ever seen and know I'll be going grey when they start bringing home de boyfriends." Jubilee only grinned in a way that looked so much like her Uncle Wolvie, "I already got a boyfriend Papa, Ben." The muttered 'Don you go reminding me petite' left everyone laughing including Pagie.

In the end Lee fell back to sleep after her sugar infused breakfast, so much gentler than the first days when her eyes would grow distant and simply faint. They could only hope it wouldn't be much longer until Hank let the girl join them down at the boat house the family was staying at, the school so full and busy that finding a peaceful place had resorted kicking Jono and Laura out, not that the pair minded too much Jono had confessed. Leaving the girl under the care of Pagie the LeBeau Family bid her sweet dreams as they left, knowing the had a full day ahead of them.

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"Where did Jubilee run off ta?" Marie inquired as she joined her husband out on the dock by the boat house, settling down on a chair beside him with her glass of wine. "Where do you think Chere?" She loved the way his mischief in his eyes when he smiled. "Necking Parker?" With nothing else for the girl to do besides learn how to control her recently manifest mutation she seemed to either be spending time with Parker or off checking in on Lee. Soon enough though classes would start and the girl would have more than enough on her plate to keep her busy.

"Funny isn't it, we were just talkin' about maybe tryin' for another and then this happens." She savoured a sip of her wine, feeling Remy running the tip of his bare toe down her calf. "Doesn't mean we still can't, I'm sure both of them wouldn't mind a little bebe brother or sister." The thought of being pregnant with two eleven year old daughters getting into mischief as they learned to use their mutations left her feeling a touch apprehensive, but in truth she had more than enough Auntie's and Uncles to pawn the pair off on if they got to be too much. In a single gulp she finished her wine. "You call someone to make sure our little Jubilee doesn't go coming home tonight, I'll go slip out of this and see you in the bedroom."

She could hear him out there scrolling through his phone, trying to find just the right sucker for the evening as she kicked off her sandals and started to slowly undo the buttons of her shirt. The first time she had been pregnant it had been so crazy and magical and scary, she had no idea how it had happened but he had been there for her throughout the emotional time. Feeling the cool night air against her skin as her shirt fell to the floor she could only imagine this time it would be different, no mystery to this child, just the love she had for her man and the life they were about to create.

She could hear him now as he walked in that confident stride through the boat house, see those red on black eyes look down at her adoringly. She couldn't help but squeal as he tore his shirt from his chest and danced out of his jeans. The moonlight only made it look all the more romantic, no candles or music needed, just the gentle lapping of the waves against the hull as they embraced one another and surrendered to their desire.

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"I told her she should use a wheel chair, but it appears our dearest Lee is just as we all remember her." Their hearts were in their throats as they watched her finally leaving the infirmary with her little sister at her side. Despite Lee's protests Jubilee demanded they wear the same outfit like the Cuckoo's and the younger girl got her way. She still looked weak and tired, stumbling as she walked, but LeBeau was there to catch her every time she'd start to fall. It wasn't long until they had outpaced their audience and were managing a clumsy run to the elevator to visit the school proper. "Just make sure she doesn't fatigue her sister too much." Hank offered as the extended family of the X chased after the girls, reaching the doors of the elevator just as they closed on their faces with the two girls sticking their tongues out at them.

Minutes later they found LeBeau and Lee had already made their way to the rec room, the elder students playing with the pair on the latest Xbox that had been hacked with some Shi'ar technology. Lee kept asking where the controller was, Santo telling her she was the controller which earned him a glare worthy of her Logan that caused the older boy to wither. It was several minutes into the match when the two girls had come out on top, though both looked flushed and tired while Santo and Cessily fell on the sofa which bucked under the boys weight. Logan walked in and simply picked his former protege up in his arms earning a squawk from the girl as he sat with her in a recliner.

"You remember to take it easy Kid, or I'll get Hank to go get that wheel chair." Marie could only laugh at the scowl on the girls face as she gathered her other daughter up in her arms. "You take it easy with your big sister Jubilee, I'm sure once she gets her strength up you two will be driving us crazy soon enough, till then play nice." Jubilee kicked and squealed as her mother tickled her, finally worming her way free and landing on the ground in a crouch. "Mom! Not in front of the other kids!" The room erupted in laughter at the dismayed tone of her voice, even Lee unable to bite back a giggle.

"Hey now girl, you'll always be my little baby and there won't be a day you're too big for me to pick up." Ben helped his friend back to her feet, challenging her to the next round on the Xbox. "It's weird, it feels like I've been gone forever, but I still remember so much of it from her." Lee confessed to the fatherly figure holding her as she watched Ben and Jubilee. "Don't worry Kid, we're all here for ya." Lee fussed with the skirt her little sister insisted they wear, the shoes were cute though she mused. "I still can't get over how young ya are girl." Marie had joined them, crouching down to get a closer look at the latest addition to the family.

"Oh god Mom...Mar..." Lee began, looking confused a second later. She could remember so much of Jubilation LeBeau's life since her death as if she had grown up with the girl. "No, Mom's fine. Or Rogue, Marie, whatever ya like." Lee felt the woman she had known for so long take her hand, had known so intimately when she had fused with the woman after her death. "Mom I guess. It feels nice." With the way Marie's eyes misted she knew the feeling was mutual, though she felt she had to clear one thing up still. "But there is no way I'm calling Remy Dad, that just sounds like so weird." Laughing now she threw her friend a hug as Logan looked on approvingly, the man still chuckling at the statement a moment before.

"The ol' Swamp Rat has a gift for you later, just so I can watch you gettin' all curious. We got a proper bed for you down at the boat house with us, no more of those sci fi infirmary beds Hank's so keen about. Tomorrow we'll go do some shopping so you can get some clothes of your own, that way your little sister can't treat ya as her own doll." It sounded so unreal and at the same time so heartwarming to Lee, a family of her own again. The X family would always be there, but this just felt like what she had lost all those years ago giving her a second chance. Feeling a second wind coming, she gave both Marie and Logan a hug before jumping down to challenge Ben and Jubilee.

"But Lee, it's twos! You gotta get a partner." Jubilee asserted, Lee looking around the room trying to find someone to join her. She felt someone lightly tap her shoulder, turning to look up and find none other than Laura Kinney before her. It had been the first time she'd seen this girl, Lee felt ashamed at the wash of emotions that flooded her thinking about everything she represented again. "I, if you need someone," the girl paused as she caught the scent of emotions, "Sorry, I'll see if Jono wants to." Just as she turned to leave Lee grabbed her hand, it felt weird how it was so much bigger than hers but she was just a girl again. "No, no. I'd love it X, c'mon." The melancholic smile that fell over this quiet girl left Lee feeling so small suddenly, but despite it she dragged the girl up to the Xbox intent on kicking her little sister's butt.

The rapport lent each an insight into the others actions, Ben and Laura struggling to keep up with their partners. It looked so much like a duel between the two girls as they matched each other perfectly, but in the end Laura proved more than a match for Ben and team Lee won out. The older girl looked confused as Lee went for a high five, not knowing what to do. It was Jubilee who then took her hand and held it up for her big sister to slap in triumph. "Good game!" Jono finally joined his girlfriend who had been flanked by the twin Jubilations, explaining the significance of a High Five to her. "_It's something you do when good things happen luv._"

"It's the first time I've seen it, but good things have happened before." Laura looked to Jono for more on this High Five she had just came to know. "_Well, it's a bit dated so not many people do it anymore. I think Lee watched a few too many movies from the Eighties when she was last in circulation._" The kick he received to his rump let him know the former teammate had heard him, just as feisty as he remembered her from all those years ago. "Hey now Jono, somethings are just timeless." Laura watched as the petite Asian got into a small argument with her boyfriend, the girl with her hands on her hips while Jono had his arms crossed, his eyes smiling all the while.

"Lee, we should take Laura shopping with us tomorrow! If she doesn't know what a High Five is imagine everything else she doesn't know?" Lee spun from Jono to regard Laura with questioning eyes. Laura looked confused and awkward suddenly as the twin Jubilations stood before her, one eager and the other hopeful. "Only if Jono comes." The nod he gave settled the matter, Laura would be going shopping tomorrow with them and it was final.

"It's a good thing Remy is very good at what he does for a living, de thought of two of my Petite in a Mall would scare de pants off me otherwise." The two girls just grinned at him, one knowing him as her father and the other knowing him as an old friend. "But now it is time for Jubilee to practice, I won't be having my little miss getting angry and blowing up anything." Three days after having manifested her powers Jubilee had accidentally thrown a can into the trash in a foul mood after banging her knee on a table. Luckily it had been out on the patio, but finding his daughter covered in stinky garbage by the smoking ruins of a trash can let him know to up the training before luck ran out.

"Can I come Gambit? I want to see if I can't get any of my old paff's to pop up." Ruffling Lee's hair Remy bid 'D'accord' to the idea. "Mama LeBeau, I be taking de kiddies down to play where I know nothing is going to get blown up." Receiving her blessing Remy walked with the girls in tow down to the Danger Room, making sure they changed out of the silly clothes his little Jubilee had dressed the two in. Somehow she had asked the Cuckoo's for the old school uniforms from when they were her age, and of course they had agreed. "Merde, she better not loose interest in Ben, Remy doesn't need to think of de other boys she might bring home. Dat just leaves Lee, Remy can deal with scaring away one boy at a time." Talking to himself seemed to help until finally the two girls finally entered the room dressed for lessons.

"Bon, we try it from the top Jubilee? Just remember petite, it's all in de wrist." He showed his daughter the way to flick the cards so they travelled as he wanted, patient and calm as he watched her send cards flopping on the ground until she got the hang of it. Lee had taken to calling up some gymnastic equipment, stretching her legs and warming up before it. She tired easily after some routines but knew when to catch her breath, always coming back stronger. He had always loved the girl like a kid sister when he knew her before, but now he felt the love of a father as he watched her slowly push herself harder.

The sound of psonic energy charging a card drew him back to Jubilee, the girl taking aim at one of the faux wooden targets the Danger Room supplied. With the trademark arch of energy of a LeBeau flaring before her, Jubilee threw the card at a target and hit it as the card detonated. Remy could only look down at Jubilee with pride, knowing the momentary distant look in her eyes meant she was talking with her sister through their rapport. "Just like dat petite, like Papa said, all in de wrist." Emboldened by her success Jubilee scored hit after hit, leaving a virtual pile of rubble when she finally tired. "Easy petite, maybe you just practice with enough to make de cards stick non? Then let the energy go back to you like this." Remy threw a card at a target, but instead of detonating the energy faded leaving it embedded in the wood.

Ruffling his daughters hair he left her too it, checking up on Lee as she danced and spun on the equipment, leaping through the air and landing in perfect poise. The girl he knew from all those years before stood before him in this moment, a little younger yes but then again he had thought her a brat at meeting her first, only getting to know her in all the trials that had met him upon meeting the X-men with Ororo. For all the things life had thrown at that girl she had never given up the hope that kept her going, that infectious hope that just made it such a treat to be around her. Now here she was again with his daughter in tow, a generation of X-men before them that would need that hope on their dark days when defeat finally reared it's head.

"Remy thought you said you was gonna Paff his behind Lee, looks like you're just showing up Papa LeBeau with de kind of moves dat make his knees ache looking at them." He watched as she landed from her set, looking ready to lay into him at his challenge. In truth no one knew if she'd have the powers she had before, but the manifestation of his daughter had hinted it might be so. He watched as the girl looked to her hands looking lost in thought as she stood there. So enthralled by the moment he hadn't even realized his little Jubilee had snuck up behind him, that distant look in her eyes as she looked to her big sister.

He could see it now, like trying to catch a flash of lightening from the corner of your eyes, just a hint of a glow about the girls hands. She raised them up and looked to be willing that glow to come to life, become the fireworks that she had wielded a lifetime ago. With a determined growl she closed her eyes as the glow increased, the tiniest of sparks dancing from her finger tips. It happened so fast it caught the girl off guard, _**Paff**_. Remy felt the force from where he stood and was on his feet even has he saw Lee get knocked from the elevated bar she had been standing on. He could hear Jubilee crying out in shock now, the world seemed to move in slow motion as he cleared the distance to the falling girl. Sliding low he caught her just before she hit the floor, breaking her fall in his strong arms. He'd feel it in the morning he knew but it meant nothing as he cradled the girl as she stared at him.

"Big bada boom." She looked dazed as he settled her into his lap, sitting there as his little Jubilee raced up to him. "Oh my god are you okay Lee!" She saved him having to ask they very same question as his daughter fawned over her sister. Lee looked to her sister and smiled lopsidedly at her, pulling the girl into a hug. "Thanks to Papa LeBeau, looks like they're a bit stronger than I remember." Remy knew different though, they were just as strong as he remembered but only when the girl had been in the heat of battle with emotions running like lava through her veins. He knew just how much she had always held back when it came to her powers, his wife having shown him the truth of their strength on the rare missions they preformed over the years since having become a family.

"Looks like Lee needs to learn to tone it down a bit, non?" Hugging the girl in question to his chest he helped her to her feet, declaring that it had been more than enough training for the both of them. Mama Marie would have dinner waiting for them down at the boat house and if there was one thing she hated it was people coming to dinner without having a shower after a trip to the gym. "Hit the showers ma petite anges." This time around Lee wouldn't be alone with learning how to control her powers, this time there was Marie for her he mused as he called an end to the simulation before hitting a shower himself.

It was twenty minutes later as the trio arrived that Marie knew something had happened by the way her daughter was so quiet. She was only quiet when she was in trouble or if something happened that would upset her mother. The girls were dressed in the silly uniforms her daughter had borrowed from the Cuckoo's, looking none the worse for wear despite the nervous way they settled in at the table. It was when she noticed Remy limping that she realized something had really happened. "Okay you three, someone better spill or ya'll ain't getting any dinner." Lee looked ready to say something until Remy stepped in, placing a hand on the girls shoulder that silenced her. "Our little Lee here has her fireworks back, they just catch her off guard is all. Remy take a tumble helping her, next time he think Mama Marie might want to go show her how de work agian."

She felt relieved knowing the girl had her powers with this rebirth, but the look Remy gave her left her knowing that it'd be a long road to get her back to being the firecracker she had been. "Is that all? You had me thinkin' ya all had gown and blown up the Mansion or something." Giving each of the girls a kiss to the top of their heads she went about dishing out their dinner, sternly telling both girls to eat their vegetables or they wouldn't get any desert. Her daughter cried out with a bemoaned Momma while Lee favoured a prolonged Aw, both stabbing at their carrots and beans as if it was all the offending vegetables faults.

With their vegetables vanquished the girls finished the rest of their dinner without protest, Lee asking for seconds to feed her recovery. Satisfied, Marie brought out the desert of cheese cake and divided it between her family. She could only laugh as her daughter stole a piece of her fathers cake after she had finished her own, Remy feigning a surprised gasp as he turned back to see her pop the pilfered piece in her mouth. Throughout this Marie watched Lee with a mothers eye, noticed how the girl sat there quietly as she slowly ate cake, just this warm little smile on her lips as she looked as if she realized she was truly welcomed into the family.

Marie excused herself from the table as she left her girls there with Remy, knowing now was the perfect moment for Papa LeBeau's gift. She had it on a bookshelf wrapped up in rainbow paper that reminded her so much of the power they shared in its most joyous expression. Coming up behind Lee she knelt next to the girl and placed the gift before her, once again giving the girl a chaste kiss on her head. "It's from all of us." Lee had tears in her eyes as she carefully peeled it open despite her younger sisters cries to just rip it. It was a little wooden box, nothing special in itself, but as she opened it she found a wallet and a firecracker key chain with a single key on it. "I got the key chain! That's your house key Lee!" Jubilee cried out proudly, knowing just how much her sister appreciated it through the rapport.

Marie watched as Lee finally opened the wallet to find out what it held, the tears falling freely now as she held the small piece of government issue paper in her hands. "Lee LeBeau." The girl whispered, a hiccup escaping as she gently ran a finger over it. It was a birth certificate they gotten for her through their friends in S.H.I.E.L.D, entirely legal and binding. The date was the same as Jubilee's, twins truly now. Other pieces were plucked from the leather folds, a library card among them and finally a school ID for the school her sister had attended with Ben. The picture on the school ID though had her throwing her arms about her new mother as she started to cry tears of joy, it was the one she had used at the Massachusetts academy looking nearly the same age she was now. "Welcome to the family Lee." The other three LeBeau's said in unison, joining her in shedding tears at the moment they had just given her.

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If there was one thing Jono had forgotten about the girl he had known, it was what damage she could do to a mall. Yet here was Jubilee racing around with the girl in tow putting her to shame, soulful pleas to her parents or Aunties that she just had to have this outfit or that pair of slacks. They obliged her on occasion, but the true reason for the visit to the mall was to give Lee her own clothes and all those other necessities of life one didn't give much thought until they were gone. Monet, Paige and Emma had joined the little family outing, Monet easily picking up where she had left off with Lee all those years ago trying to show the girl a thing or two about fashion.

What warmed his heart the most was watching as the twins Jubilation frequently stole Laura from his side to force her into shops, helping her try on various outfits or telling her what would look good on her. The ladies of Generation X often left with bags in tow after these moments when Laura had finally allowed herself to be treated to a lesson in normalcy. But the hat store was the best Jono thought, Lee gravitating to a leather cowboy hat that simply flopped over her head while Jubilee ended up getting Laura a Fedora by way of her Auntie Emma.

"Jubilation Lee LeBeau!" The name worked so well for getting both the girls attentions, and Marie knew how to use it just as only a mother could. Jono watched as the two girls came front and centre, Lee looking ridiculous in the cowboy hat next to her sister. "We ladies are going to go do a little shopping, your Papa LeBeau is in the food court resting his leg. Ah expect you two to behave yourselves for Jono and Laura, ya hear me?" Lee just offered a grin under the hat that had Marie laughing, while Jubilee promised to behave herself lest Uncle Wolvie take her camping again.

"Alright Jono, they're all yours. Just remember where the emergency exits are ya hear?" He hardly knew if she was worried something like what had happened at the mall all those years ago might happen again, or if he'd need to run away if the twins ended up finding the candy store on the third level of the mall. "_No problem luv, ye go have some fun with the gels, we can handle these two munchkins._" Looking down at the munchkins in question Jono then looked to the ever quiet Laura next to him. "_Okay my luvs, what do we want to do?_"

He was thankful the girls caught onto his meaning and watched as they both looked up to Laura with curiosity in their eyes. He could feel them talking to each other over their rapport, like telepathic whispers he could almost hear if he just pried a little harder. He hoped Laura might have seen something she wanted to do in their travels, but the girl just looked about disinterested with the Fedora resting sharply on her crown. "Could we go to the book store?" Laura had finally noticed the rows of books in the shop the next level down, pointing it out.

"_Sure thing luv._" It warmed his heart to finally find something she seemed interested in, all the years since she had been found in New York had yet to soften that edge that had been honed into her so painfully. He could hear Lee's groan through the rapport at the mention of books, but Jubilee countered it with a stream of her favourite books, talking about schools of children wizards and a flat world that travelled through space on a giant turtle. As the four of them entered the store, he slowly trailed behind Laura as she made her way to the children's book section, settling down in a bean bag that swallowed her as she read through a book of fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm among other classics. He hadn't any need to worry about where the girls had run off to, easily tracking their thoughts through the teen section as Jubilee tried to introduce Lee into the joy of reading.

"_Ye like the classics?_" Jono asked as he found a bean bag of his own, scooting it next to hers so the pair looked completely silly in that way couples always did in public when they didn't care who saw them. "She used to read to me." He knew who she meant, the woman who had been a mother to her all those years ago, nurturing the spark of humanity that had blossomed in this girl who had been raised a weapon. "_Me mum used to read to me from these kind of books too, its been forever since I heard anyone read them._" Back as a child they had always scared him for as much as they delighted him, the classics were nothing like the rainbows and happy endings that Hollywood depicted them to be.

He was surprised as Laura slowly started to read of one of the other classics in the book beyond the title authors, the story of a mermaid. Letting his eyes smile for him, he placed his arm about her shoulders as she read carefully from the book in that sombre tone of hers so full of sadness and a longing to belong. He had become so enraptured by her voice that he was surprised to see all the other customers that had gathered around the pair as she read, a few of the store staff in the audience.

"Please tell us another!" One child called, a few others joining in the plea. He could see their parents nodding, all holding the very same copy of the book Laura had picked up. Giving the lonesome girl a reassuring squeeze of her shoulder he whispered in her mind to read another, longing so badly to kiss this girl he sat next to with the way she looked at him just then. Choosing another favourite about a girl and her step sisters, Laura read again and again from the book much to the joy of the children before her, the twins Jubilation having come in for the third fairy tale to be read as they lay in the crowd.

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"_That's when Laura was offered a part time job in the children's section to read on weekends._" Marie listened to the story simply amazed at what had happened in her absence, watching as her daughters walked through the mall each holding one of Laura's hands. Marie was no stranger to pain and having to gain trust, looking to this young woman now she could see the way she looked to have gained a touch more vibrance to her. Paige and Monet took to teasing the man who in his youth had been so mournful and full of gloom, now taking his girlfriend on dates to the bookstore to read fairy tales. It seemed Laura hadn't been the only one who had come to terms with a sorted past Marie mused.

Her beau and the love of her life met them at the van, helping to stow all the shopping in the back hatch. She couldn't help but laugh every time she caught Remy edging the van past the speed limit, the glint in his eyes the same she knew when he had been out on his bike. All it took was a little cough to have him realize he'd been caught again, slowing down to a more sedate speed as they headed back to Xavier's with the night falling. The twins fought over which station was to be played, Lee favouring music she had known, while Jubilee wanted to hear the latest pop stations. In the end Jono challenged them to double fisted thumb wars and won out, settling on some eighties hard rock station much to the relief of most of the passengers. It'd still be at least another hour home and Marie didn't think she could handle whatever autotuned teen was topping the charts for the trip.

"Fire." Laura said flatly, Emma and Monet both looking as if they had just had someone scream at them. Sirens blared a them as fire engines passed with police and ambulances in formation. "Merde, look at that." They could see it now, a train derailment at the crossing ahead, a long line of cars being held back by the police. Everyone in the car passed a look to one another as the decision was made. "We have to help." Disregarding the officer that waved them back Emma momentarily had him forget where he was as they sped on towards the wreck.

The scene was chaos as they entered, fire crews trying to put out flames from cargo containers while rescuers tried to rescue passengers from the commuter train that had been caught in the path. "Who the hell do you people think you are!" The fire chief for the scene blared as the van pulled up to what they could only hope was a command centre. "We de X-men, sanctioned by de Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D, and we be here to help." She couldn't believe how long it had been since she had hard Remy say that, only a few years ago the formerly unrecognized group finally earning a reputation as the heros they were. The chief started calling in to his mic, barking for someone named Reynolds. Out of the crowd a girl who couldn't have been any older than twenty came, looking at the people with the eye of a predator.

"Meta Human Liaison Reynolds, part time. EMT otherwise. I need a quick run down on how you can help and you better follow orders." The girl had spirit, Marie found she liked her instantly. "Super strength, nigh invulnerability, I can fly." Reynolds had her immediately working with the fire crews on moving any of the hazardous tankers away from the scene incase they exploded, fire trucks following her easily to try and prevent the awful situation anyway. "We got three telepaths and a tracker, lets get you with our search and rescue." Emma, Monet, Jono and Laura found themselves paired up with fire crews and EMT as they found survivor after survivor, lending the help these people would need to make it through the night.

Remy sat with the girls and Paige under the watchful eye of Reynolds. "What about you two?" Remy regarded Paige for a moment until he fished through his wallet. "I took some first aid courses and de likes, you need a hand?" Soon the former thief found he was put to work trying to help the long list of people who needed first aid but weren't in life threatening condition. "I can help too, I've been training as a nurse." Despite the powers her mutation lent her, Paige realized in this moment every second counted with saving lives.

The twins Jubilation watched it all in awe as their family moved effortlessly with the emergency crews, feeling pride swell in them yet not knowing how to help. Lee couldn't trust herself after everything that happened to work among the survivors as everyone else had started, Jubilee only having recently started a course on CPR. The situation had just started to turn around with the X-men helping their everyday counterparts in saving lives when it happened. Sparks and fire flared from the emergency lighting bathing the scene in darkness, people crying out in anger and fear. Reynolds swore and didn't care if the two girls heard her, barking orders over the mic to get the lights back on now.

Jubilee turned to her sister and stared the girl down. "Do it!" Lee knew what she was talking about but at the same time was scared, she could feel through the rapport how her sister offered her support and comfort. "Lee, you can do it!" Reynolds regarded the pair suddenly noticing the two as they appeared to struggle with a decision. "There something you can do for the lights?" Looking out at the disaster that spread before her Lee swallowed her fear at the memory of those times she had lost control before, remembered the times she had people in awe instead, and felt the comfort her sister offered her. "Yeah, just...just get me some room."

Summoning her strength, Lee raised her hands to the heaven and called on all those memories that had made her lives worth living, meeting Logan despite how crazy he had been. The times with the X-men and the sense of family she had felt after losing her parents all the years before. Generation X when everything had felt right with that place, and finally to only last night, having a real family all over again. She felt like she was going to explode for how much it hurt, she was crying without guilt at just how right everything finally felt. Fireworks that would have shamed any Fourth of July erupted in the sky bathing the scene in lights of all the colours of the rainbow, and throughout it all she felt her sister hugging her and cheering her one, lending the strength she needed to endure until the repair crews fixed the broken emergency lightning.

It felt like an eternity as she let the sky be washed out in her gift, struggling against the fatigue that dogged her. With a thrum of electric generators she heard Reynolds yelling over the eruptions in the heavens, telling her she had done it. Her arms ached as she finally lowered them, felt her knees buckle. But she didn't fall, Reynolds and Jubilee were at her side as they lay her down on the soft grass. "Great job Kid, you don't know how many lives you just saved." She couldn't believe it as she looked to this woman who wouldn't have been much older than she was when she had died the first time. Instead of all the fear and hatred she had known before, she was being thanked for embracing what she was. A fresh wave of tears overtook her as she hugged her sister crying, feeling the love in that rapport that she knew every one of her friends out there right now shared for her.

She must have fallen asleep she realized in the end, curled up in the back of the family van with the LeBeau's, her family. She could hear the story over the news now that played over the radio, the X-men avert disaster, Avengers applaud their efforts. Interviews with the emergency response that lauded the aid they had given, letting these everyday heros do their jobs all the better to save lives. It was when she heard Reynolds though that she couldn't believe it, talking to the reporter about the twin girls who had helped banish the night after a technical disaster had struck them. The girl who stepped up Reynolds called her, despite how scared she looked, doing what was needed in the moment. The laugh Reynolds gave then had her hiccup as she fought back the tears that threatened to come anew, the EMT only saying in the end "If everyone followed that kids lead the world would be a better place."

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The school was in chaos as they arrived, students and staff alike greeting the returning heros as they pulled up the drive. Hank was the first on scene, stealing a kiss from Paige before finally picking up the twins and carrying them off to the patio where the smell of barbeque greeted them. Marie and Remy could only smile at the situation, having only gone out for a days shopping for their latest daughter and coming home to find this. It's not as if the pair had gone looking for some event that required their heroics.

Marie could see Jono as he found Logan up at the patio, Laura in tow so he told the old man just what his essential daughter had been up to at a book store. Bobby came up to Emma with Everett Angelo in his arms, the young boy very pleased to see his Momma. Marie still couldn't believe how simply matronly that woman could be when she wanted to. Despite how much she loved teaching she had to confess in this moment it reminded her how great it felt to play hero, even when the people you saved hated you. But this had been so very different, more than enough of the fire fighters she had worked with thanked her again and again as she helped them combat the deadliest of the blazes. It felt so amazing to be appreciated.

She knew just looking into Remy's eyes that she wasn't alone in these thoughts, the former thief having helped to ease the suffering of so many with the lessons he had been taught at a community centre near their home in New York. Both knew they'd have to have a family talk later about this, the decision too momentous to make on the spur of the moment without everyone having a say. But for now it was time to celebrate, Remy tilting her back in his arms and stealing a passionate kiss that curled her toes and left her womanly bits knowing that they'd be trying to add another LeBeau to the family later.

From the patio the reaction of the twins Jubilation was conflicted, Jubilee finding the PDA of her parents to be gross while Lee cheered the couple on. Glaring at each other they decided the only way to settle it was a thumb war, Jubilee winning in the end against her sister. Paige returned to the pair with two waffle cones of their favourite mint chip, both girls squealing at the sheer size of their treats. The disagreement over their parents amorous display was forgotten seconds later as both girls started to enjoy their ice cream.

The aged head of the estate looked down from the balcony of his office with his closest friends by his side, feeling the emotions and wayward thoughts that the X family below cast forth on this night. He had wondered if he'd live to see the day his Dream might show some signs of coming to fruition, his darkest fear known to him by his erstwhile friend Erik always dogging his thoughts. It felt as though everything might finally be in good hands on this summer evening just days until the school resumed it's scholarly pursuits.

"You're sure Charles?" Scott asked of him, the man known the world over as Professor X regarding him kindly. "I'm sure Scott, I leave my dream in the hands of those I have come to trust so very closely, I leave this dream to you all. I can finally rest knowing I've done my part." The announcement came to only those that needed to say goodbye, it came through the sheer power the worlds foremost telepath who wielded his gift with kindness and compassion. The world over he left the invitations open to those who could not make the trip, asking forgiveness for transgressions past or giving thanks to those who had earned it. But by the dawn Charles Francis Xavier would be retiring from the position he had held for so many years, handing the dream over to the countless souls who picked up the torch.

He'd finally join his love Lilandra knowing he had finished everything he had started. He never meant to live to see the world as his dream could bring it, he just longed to live to see the day the world stopped fighting against it. The visits had lasted longer than he thought they would, he was no saint despite what some might think, but it left him feeling at peace when those who had harsh words for him finally got them off their chests. It was in the early dawn that he saw them though, the last of those wishing to say goodbye. He could see they had their rollerblades on as they skated their way up the trails. The youngest of those who had joined the school that told of his dream.

"Children." Before him stood one who he had known years before, a girl he had failed to protect against a madman, a pain he still carried with him. With her stood her likeness but a new soul so full of life that it warmed his heart to have met her, while finally the son of a man who had come to a mutation not by birth but by accident, the son of Peter Parker. It had been Lee's idea obviously, an homage to a past memory they both shared. Accepting his fate and knowing that none of them would let him fall, he let them guide his chair down the paths and trails known to the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, relishing the sheer vitality the moment gave him as the twins Jubilation skated with a hand on either handle of his chair. Ben Parker followed behind, the ever vigilant spider sense letting him know if any err would lead to a moment of danger as they all treated the Professor to a memory of a time Jubilation Lee had taken him rollerblading.


	18. Bishop and Co, Invesitgation

Remy sat in his office with his peers, idly shuffling a deck of cards as he tossed the random one into a hat. It seemed the sort of thing to do given his new line of work as a Private Investigator. How curious his life had turned out over the years, orphan to thief, thief to hero, hero to security consultant, and finally this change in his path. He remembered the night all too well when he and Marie finally had the talk with the two down at the boat house. They had made Jubilee's favourite for dinner, the family settling down in the living room shortly after with their deserts. It was hard to broach the subject that had weighed on their minds, but finally Marie had found her voice.

"We want to help the world again." Jubilee looked to her mother quizzically, her spoon still in her mouth. "You mean being X-men again?" The tales they had told the girl and from everything she had learned from Lee left her no stranger to the exploits of her parents. "No sugah, we want to help again like we did with the train. The X-men and Avengers can handle all the big baddies, we just want to help with all the daily tragedies." Marie painted a picture of all the things they could help with, disaster relief, industrial accidents, the everyday crimes. "We've got some of your aunties and uncles we'd like to talk to as well, and so many friends, but we had to talk to you two first before we could make this decision. We wanted your permission."

Jubilee set her spoon down as she looked to her parents, her sister gave her a friendly elbow as she looked to the three with a huge smile on her face. "They want to take the Super out of Hero kiddo. Guessing you two won't be rocking the one pieces eh?" Marie only laughed as Remy looked aghast at the mention. "But your Momma looks so good in de one piece." Chuckling the two finally looked back to Jubilee as she mulled it over. "Of course you can, but only if you let me help when I get older!" With that the decision had been made, the corporate entities of Frost and Worthington backing the endeavour as a charitable contribution. Marie would handle the big stuff, the disasters that needed the big guns like her, Ororo and Bobby who had agreed to share their time.

Remy though had found the more direct way to help, not for profit Private Investigation. Helping all the people who had no one else to turn to when life's tragedies fell upon them, help where they police could not or would not. With him was an old friend and rival, Bishop, the time lost X-man who had once been an officer of a different law. Laura and Jono too did decide to help, the girl all too pleased to find a way to atone for her past so long as she could have weekends off to work at the book store. Jono rounded out their group as the resident telepath among other things.

The silent partner to this endeavour came by way of his daughter's boyfriend whose father was none other than Peter Parker. As Editor in Chief of the paper he knew all the sorted tales of the city, having to decide which were newsworthy and which would be shuffled aside. The work of the reporters under the man never were in vain though, emails coming in almost hourly since they opened for business with possible leads of people who could use their help. So it was that the four of them waited patiently for the knock on the door that would announce their first client. Bishop sat across from him cleaning his pistol, some piece of future tech that was never far from the man's side. Jono strummed away upon a guitar playing a soothing ballad while Laura read from another book of fairytales she had collected recently.

Willing the door to beckon him from his seat, Remy nearly fell out of his chair as the phone rang instead. "Allo?" Oui, dis be de investigators, Bishop and Co. Merde, stay der, lock de door and call de police. We'll be over as fast as we can, oui, oui, be safe." Bishop regarded him with a nod as he quickly reassembled his pistol with familiar ease, a satisfying click heard as he slotted the power cell. "Her husband was attacked, dey only be three blocks away. Jono and Laura, you get there, get de scent and find dem. Bishop and I will handle de local police once we get dere, not get in der way but still be der to help. Lets go." Fetching the cards from his hat he shuffled the deck with a single hand as he placed the Fedora atop his brow, a gift from the twins Jubilation who wouldn't let him leave the house without it.

Out front was a gift from Emma, a classic Impala, black as night and looking as if it had just come off the factory floor. He supposed low profile might be something they should strive for, but somehow that didn't seem important as the engine burst to life, the low rumble of unspent horsepower purring softly as he and his cohorts made their way to the home of the Wards. Husband and wife shopkeepers being extorted by a racket of petty thugs and criminals, they feared the retaliation if they called the police so they in turn had phoned the day before for help. Knuckles white on the wheel Remy raced down the deserted streets of the neighbourhood until finally he pulled up to the old turn brick apartment building the couple called home.

"Residence only, what's your business?" The officer asked of the group as they strode to the building. "We be working for de couple dat was attacked, de Wards? Dey were supposed to meet us for a meeting tonight to discuss de harassment. We get a call saying her hubby be attacked, I tell her to call you." The officer listened but seemed apathetic to the story. "This is a crime scene, once we've taken their statements you can talk with them, until them you're not to enter." Bishop let a growl worthy of Logan rumble in his chest as he looked down at the officer, Laura and Jono simply standing in the back silent yet anxious. "Dat so? Hmm, let me see if I can't see about dat, non?"

Fishing about in his pockets Remy found a crumpled piece of paper, unfolding it and then dialling a number into his cell. Grinning at the profanity he received in way of a hello he passed off the phone to the officer in question. "Uh, Hello?" Without shame he grinned as he watched as the officer blanch, standing straighter somehow as some yelling escaped the phone. Friends in high places had him sharing drinks with the Chief of Police a few nights ago, a little family gathering between the families. He recalled how much the Twins fawned over the young son of the Chief, only three and a charmer already it seemed. Phone returned the officer waved them in, Remy thanking and apologizing to his latest friend, promising to make up for it until finally the call ended in a sharp click.

Topping the stairs, the group found the next officer they met to be already lifting the police tape and letting them in, a caution to not touch anything that might be evidence. Two detectives were sitting with the couple, an EMT treating the husbands wounds which thankfully were pronounced to look worse than they were. Grinning broadly now he realized it was none other than Reynolds herself. "Madam." Remy offered the woman a bow, the others giving respectful nods. Disregarding them all she simply treated her patient, though the tightness in her shoulders seemed to relax some. The Detectives turned to them all, a man well into his fifties, skin like leather and a face that brooked no bullshit. The other looked fresh to her rank, no more than in her late twenties, sensibly short blonde hair and a pale complexion that spoke of long nights.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Playing private eye now are ya LeBeau?" The voice spurred a distant memory, he knew this man from somewhere but couldn't place it. Ignoring it he turned to his clients, noticing Laura asking Mister Ward to hold still as she took in the scents that mingled on him. "_Missus Ward, this will be quick, I just need ya to think of the attacker, think of his face and let me touch those thoughts._" The woman looked distraught for a moment, already trying to forget everything that happened surely, but a steel filled her eye as she looked to Jono. Remy knew he wasn't the only one gifted with the replay of the scene, even the Detectives staggered at the memories the woman summoned. "_Thanks Luv, we'll be on our way."_ Leaving the scene Jono and Laura soon were on the trail of the man who had attacked these innocent people.

"God damn Muties." The elder detective barked, rubbing his temples even as he scribbled away on a notepad. The younger seemed shaken, taking a seat as she regarded the couple before her in a new light, doubtless the crime no longer so far removed after feeling the fear the woman had as her husband was beaten. "You got a number for us to call when we catch de man?" Remy asked of the lady detective as he knelt near her, his voice quiet. "We haven't even finished taking a statement and you're already talking like the matter is closed?" The woman said surprised, fishing for a business card from her jacket pocket. "Dey hired de best, dey get de best. De name be Remy LeBeau, dis is Bishop. I be sure dis not be de last time we'll be seeing each other non? Bishop, give de lady a card." In another life he might have tried to charm this woman, but now he was content knowing he had the love of his life and a family to call his own.

Returning to his clients, Remy offered his condolences to them and swore they'd find the justice they deserved. "Here, when dey done with you, you go to this place. I'll have a friend there to let you in. My home be yours, get some rest." On the back of his own business card Remy scribbled his address, already dialling his neighbour and friend to ask for a favour, Mary Jane Parker. An ear full of the fiery redhead's temper later and promises to pay the favour back twice over left him confident the Wards wouldn't have any trouble after their business with the police was finished, even though his was just starting.

-=+=–=+=–=+=–=+=-

Remy wondered if this is what the rapport his daughter's shared felt like, emotions not his own playing upon him, glimpses of streets flashing before his eyes as if an errant thought, whispers in his mind as if recalling a conversation a day ago. Jono had followed the teachings of Emma and Jean, creating links between the four of them and strengthening them until finally it didn't require any effort from the boy at all. So it was that Remy drove down the streets until finally he found a dark secluded bar that looked the kind of place Logan would go to looking for a fight. Parking the car out front, Remy and Bishop strode in and felt the eyes of the regulars on them instantly.

Without breaking stride Remy and Bishop walked up to the bar, Remy ordering a shot of whiskey while Bishop ordered a lager. The barkeep looked to be some wizened old man who had seen too much trouble in his years, scars across his face and hands and one eye dead white. "Homme, why don't you go tidy up out back non? Oh, before I forget, de bill, merci, keep de change." The barkeep looked down to the bill offered, a hundred dollar note, catching the former thief's eye and giving a hardly noticeable nod as he left. In the corner Remy could see the man who had attacked his client only an hour prior, several men sitting with him in a booth, dangerous looking men as far as these streets were concerned.

Walking over Remy dragged a chair over from another table and leaned back, kicking his cowboy boots up onto the table the men sat at. Raising his glass he caught the eye of the brute, finishing the shot with a hiss as the cheap whisky tasted like gasoline. "What the fuck do you want?" Brute asked him even as Remy pulled a deck of cards from his pocket. "Just wondering if you'd like your fortune told Homme? De cards never lie." The men at the table looked around amazed, laughing at the turn of events. Brute poured a shot from the bottle of whiskey he had next to him and slid it across the table. "Sure, why not." Grinning Remy finished his shuffle and cut the cards expertly. Tossing down two cards Remy found them to unsurprisingly to be the king and queen of hearts. "You married homme? Dis two represent a husband and wife, lets see what happens in dis future non?" Tossing another card down it turned out to be the jack of spades, Remy feigning shock. "You and yours better watch out, got de jack on ye, he might be out to cause trouble in your house non?"

He could see the Brute looking at him differently now, pouring a shot of his own now. Flipping another card down Remy looked and saw the jack of hearts now up, grinning. "Looks like de king and queen have der champion coming, de jack o' spades best be watching out." Brute pulled out a pistol and levelled it squarely at Remy, Remy flicking a last card past the Brutes ear even as it sliced the flesh, glowing with his gift. "Tch tch, dat be de Death Card Homme." Even before the brute could react Remy fell out of his chair and kicked the table up, sending drinks flying as the card erupted sending the men gathered flying.

From his prone position on the floor he heard a distinct _snickt_ as well as the whine of Bishop's pistol charging a round. They were both on the men before any could think to pull their guns out, Laura standing stoically with her claws speaking for her while Bishop loomed down, his own pistol glowing at the barrel. Throwing a look behind him he saw Jono simply sitting at the table he had with Laura, looking entirely unconcerned as he read the mood of the crowd. "Hoo boy, de cards never lie, dat be de truth." Remy barked as he leapt gracefully to his feet, finding the remains of a bottle of whiskey and taking a swig. It was almost too easy as he watched a man reach for a broken beer bottle as Remy gave him a swift kick to the head.

"Now, dis is how it's going to play out. We come to dis fine establishment looking for a drink, you garcons be liking de look of dis fine lady here despite de fact dat she be in a committed relationship. We defend ourselves, you all end up lying on de floor counting your teeth, and den we call de cops. Dat sound about right?" Remy asked as he looked to the rest of the regulars who nodded ascent. "Bon, how about we make with de counting teeth part, non?" The regulars watched the show as the trip tore into the Brute and his compatriots, kicks and punches thrown freely with the occasional elbow to the ear. By the end of it Remy and his friends sat down at the bar and ordered another round, the barkeep having returned from his tidying out back. With his cell in hand Remy made a call to a certain detective, thanking the barkeep as he wrapped some ice in a washcloth for his swollen knuckles. "Oui, we found him. Just one of t'ose kind of days non? Oui, we be at de Jackrabbit Bar, oh, you know it, oui, he's not going anywhere, you send a wagon for them? Merci, Bonne Nui."

No more than ten minutes later police burst into the bar their hands on their holsters. The regulars had stayed for the show, already having a story to tell if asked for a statement. Remy in the mean time had paid for a few rounds and tipped generously, knowing it'd be good to have some men whose lips might be ready to spill in future. Brute spit in his direction, his front teeth missing. Remy just grinned at the man, knowing he'd see him again soon enough. Small men like him didn't think ahead, he'd be crying to whoever it had been that sent him on the Wards in the first place, and Remy knew that somehow there might be a young Detective hanging about to eavesdrop on that call. The only loose end was whoever her partner was and how he knew Remy, but that could wait for now as he nursed his swollen knuckles and swore to let Bishop whip him back into shape.

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"We are so dead." Jubilee said flatly, looking at what had formerly been a top of the line range in the kitchen. Lee stood next to her sister with a fire extinguisher and looked at the mess, the draft hood still sucking up the noxious smoke that wafted from the pan. "I didn't know they could melt like that." Lee remarked as she poked the warped pan with the fire extinguisher, what had started out as eggs and bacon with biscuits in the oven now more resembling charcoal. "Lee you said all we had to do was just cut the time down by calculating the extra heat, more heat means faster food." It was only after Jubilee said this that both girls face palmed, forgetting that math had never been their strong point.

"We are so dead." Lee agreed finally, the girls having thought they could get a quick round on the Xbox in as their breakfast cooked in the communal kitchen of Xavier's. It was what should have been a lazy Saturday morning after their first week of classes, instead they looked at the damage they had caused and wondered how long it'd be until Logan smelt the mess or Jean caught on to their attempts to shield their normally exuberant thoughts. The upstairs smoke detector finally started to blare, the girls having had the foresight to disable the kitchen one that Lee referred to as the Boy's Kitchen Timer after her years with Everett and Angelo. Looking to each other they realised only one option was left to them. "Run?" Jubilee asked. "Run." Lee replied, thus the twins Jubilation burst out of the kitchen doors to disappear in the expansive estate of Xavier's School for Gifted Children.

Ten minutes later found the girls sitting in the bows of a tree staring at the house, unable to not laugh at the commotion that had erupted with their failed attempt at breakfast. It was only as they saw Jean walk out onto the patio in her bathrobe did both girls realize the trouble, borrowing lessons Lee had learned to try and shield their thoughts only to panic as she looked straight towards them. "Time to face the music Kiddo." Lee fondly said as she dropped from the branch landing in a crouch, Jubilee following her lead. "No fair, Auntie Jean shouldn't be able to use her telepathy when we're trying to hide." Jubilee grumbled as the twins marched their way back up the lawn.

In the end their punishment had been to clean the kitchen spotless, which proved much harder than they thought at first realizing just how much smoke there had been. As noon rolled around and their stomachs groaned Bobby Drake came to save the day with take out from the burger joint in town, milkshakes kept as perfect as they were first served as only he could. "Bobby you are so my favourite Uncle!" Jubilee cried out as she joined him at the table, eagerly digging into her fries. Smiling he pulled out a chair for Lee, bowing in a mockery of a waiter as he threw a napkin over her lap. "Thanks Bobby." The smile his friend offered reminded him of years ago even as he sat with the girls, recalling times they'd been up to similar mischief that had happened this morning.

"And what about your favourite Aunt?" Emma asked as she strode in wearing a business suit of her usual white, young Everett Angelo in her arms. The refined woman could only wrinkle her nose as she looked at the meal before her nieces and husband. "He's getting so big!" Lee said as she looked to the boy she felt so much as a little cousin now. "Yes, he is a handful and I simply dread the day you three start corrupting his innocence with such antics." The girls laughed as they shared future mischief through their rapport, Bobby just tossing his wife a mischievous wink. "How was your first week of school Jubilee?" Emma asked even as she guided her sons inquiring hand away from the milkshake of his father. Nearly three the toddler was a walking, talking bundle of mischief so much like his father that Emma feared to think of the years ahead sometimes. "It's just like my other school, 'cept our gym is way cooler and the students are all like me." Jubilee replied as she sipped her milkshake.

"So you're making new friends?" Emma asked, setting young Everett Angelo with his father as she strode to the fridge to look for something healthy for her young son. "Yeah, I've met a bunch of the new kids, one is totally crushing on Lee too even if she's all ew about it." Jubilee chuckled recalling one of the boys from their history class. "Oh my god he's Eleven, like ew." Lee balked as she finished her burger. "News flash Lee, so are you now." Bobby jested as he stole one of her fries. "Don't remind me, puberty twice is bad enough without having to deal with Paige as my history teacher." Emma could only smile as she returned with a bowl of fruit slices for Everett Angelo. "Yes, and I'm sure she still remembers every trick you used to try and get out of your homework, perhaps this time around you shall actually learn something."

Jubilee laughed at the memories stirred in her sister's mind, ranging from 'accidentally' paffing her text book to claiming to be studying in town only to have her book bag stolen with her work in it. "If you put as much effort into your homework as your excuses you'd have been a model student." Emma said kindly, having caught a glimpse of the exchange through the girls rapport. "In other news Papa said they caught their first bad guy last night." Jubilee announced, Lee nodding over the last of her fries. "Yeah, Remy said they kicked some serious butt in some dirty bar, some bruiser of an extortion racket." The father LeBeau had called the girls around three in the morning to let them know he was safe as he promised, both girls listening in on the speaker phone to the tale. "Jono is gonna tail the dude if he gets sprung."

"Sounds wonderfully Noir, I'm sure he's enjoying himself very much." Emma remarked as she ruffled her nieces hair. "Yeah he's a regular Bogart." Bobby added holding an apple slice up for his son. "Anyway thanks for lunch. Lee and I promised to help Auntie Roro with her garden today." The twins Jubilation quickly rose from their chairs and offered their Aunt and Uncle a hug, tickling the young Everett Angelo before hugging him in kind. As the girls left Bobby offered his wife a smile, "Never ceases to amaze ya huh?" Shaking her head Emma could only silently agree as she watched them race off.

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Knocking on the door Marie waited with her luggage at her feet, jet lagged and tired even as she leaned into the frame. Minutes later the door opened and she awoke with a start, only smiling as Mary Jane threw her arms about her in a warm welcome. "So you got the text? Remy let his clients stay at your house until the case is solved." Mary asked as she ushered the woman in and set her down on a chesterfield. "Yeah, Ah can't blame him the sweetheart, but Ah just looked so forward to sleepin' in my own bed." Having spent t he last week clearing land minds in Cambodia had left her just longing for some much needed peace and quiet. She realized she must have dozed off as she awoke to see Mary Jane offering her a cup of tea.

"How's Ben doing?" Marie sipped her tea thinking to how their children had just started their first week at Xavier's under the new administration of Scott and Jean. "He calls me nightly, he's been pushed ahead a bit, no surprise there. He's still gushing over his new relationship with Jubilee of course, as if I didn't see that one coming." Marie smiled when she thought of the quiet boy and her daughter's relationship, puppy love as they say. "I'm even thinking about getting back into acting now that I have so much free time. Just down at the local playhouse, but it's a start." Mary Jane looked around her empty home in a way that Marie could emphasis. "I'll be sure to drag me and mine down to watch you preform MJ, you just tell me when and where." As much fun as she had catching up with her friend, it wasn't long before the jet lag finally wound Marie in and she found herself in the guest room of the Parker home getting some much needed sleep.

When next she woke she saw the red numerals of an alarm clock staring her in the face, declaring it to be a quarter past one. The evening breeze that drifted in through the open window called seductively to her as she yawned, throwing off the comforter and leaning out to look around the slumbering neighbourhood she had called home for so many years. The streets glistened from the rain that fell, casting reflections of street signs and store adverts. Now and again a car would pass sending a spray into the air, scattering puddles in potholes. Everything seemed so peaceful she longed to capture the serenity of this night and hold onto it. With another yawn threatening she slipped from the window and wound her way to the kitchen for a glass of water.

She could see MJ and Peter asleep in their room, the door open the same way she always had hers incase her child needed her even though both were away at school. The stairs of the old home creaked in protest as she slipped down, cheating for the last few as she gently hovered to the landing below. Smiling she paused to look at the pictures upon the walls of the Parker home, a young Peter and MJ madly in love, a newly born Ben held by a fatigued yet radiant new mother, Peter sitting behind his desk as the new Editor for the paper. The latest was from a picnic between the families, Jubilee nearly choking Ben in a hug while MJ and her laughed, their men laying at their sides. She could almost picture Lee hovering ghostly over her daughter's shoulder, the then ethereal big sister and guardian angel.

Pouring a glass of water she couldn't help but rummage through the fridge, finding some leftover pecan pie to steal a sliver from. Midnight snack in hand Marie punched in the guest alarm code MJ had told her ages ago, enjoying the feel of the evening against her skin on the small porch as the rain pelted down. Out there somewhere her beau was working his trade with their friends, hunting down the everyday bad guys that plagued the city. Crossing her legs she nibbled at the pie even as she caught a few late night souls walking their dogs or catching an evening run. It all felt so sublimely normal and everyday, it was one of the reasons she loved her neighbourhood so much. It made the bullet shots that cracked through the evening air all the more unexpected.

Without hesitation she flew into the air, racing after report as another shot fired. She could hear yelling now, could see the scene from her birds eye vantage. The shock nearly had her fall from the heavens as she recognized her own home, her blood boiling. On her porch a police officer clutched a wounded shoulder even as he raised his service pistol and fired off another shot at the two men hiding behind a parked car. She dropped from the very sky without so much as a sound behind the men, her nigh invulnerability protecting her. The officer looked at her in shock even as she hefted the men up as they cried out in surprise. It took all her restraint not to hurl them into the sky as she looked at the broken windows and shattered bricks of her home. Clunking their heads together she knocked them both out and threw them to the ground before her even as she walked up to the officer.

"You're hurt, c'mon inside. Ah got a first aid kit in there till the ambulance comes." The officer started to protest, claiming orders to protect the Wards for Mister LeBeau by the Chief of Police himself. "Sugah, meet the Missus LeBeau, now get inside before ya bleed over my porch anymore young man." Marie channelled her experience as a teacher, nearly laughing as the young officer straightened up. But throughout it all she still couldn't help but feel violated as she walked into her own home and saw bullet holes in the plaster, bullet holes in the home she had made for her family after they had fled New Orleans. She could see her guests now upon the landing of the stairs, looking frightened and shocked. "C'mon down for a night cap you two, ya all look like ya could use a drink."

Setting out a bottle of her favourite vanilla flavoured vodka she asked Missus Ward to pour the ladies a drink while she found the first aid kit. "Get the dear officer a nice belt of scotch and help yourself, also grab that oven mitt." She could only grin as she watched the officer gawk at her first aid kit, courtesy of Shi'ar tech and Hank's own advents. "I gotta get the bullet out the hard way, but the rest will have ya up and dancing dixie in no time. Drink this, then bite this." Marie said as she held the shot of scotch, the oven mitt in her other hand. Thankfully the officer didn't hesitate.

Pulling out a set of something that looked like the child of tweezers, tongs and a flash light she flicked it on, the flesh of the officer's shoulder showing through his jacket as she adjusted the tool. Muscle and veins appeared, then finally bones and the bullet. The officer bit down on the oven mitt and braced himself for what he knew was coming next. The tongs delved into his flesh as Marie quickly yanked the bullet out, placing it in the empty glass. The man looked white as a cold sweat lay on his brow. Picking up another odd looking tool she mended the flesh and closed the wound. She could hear the sirens now, police and ambulance racing to her home. Strolling out to her front porch with her drink in hand she nudged the two men with her toe, thankful they were still forcibly unconscious.

"Guess I'm late." Looking up Marie struggled not to burst out laughing despite the conflicted emotions racing through her. "I know, I know, it's worse than the time I had to use a FF costume and a paper bag." Peter had his trademark mask on his face, but instead of the rest of his costume he wore his housecoat and heart shaped boxers. "Get your ass home before some one sees you, I'll see ya in the morning Sugah." The laughter finally came as she watched Peter sling off home, pale legs flashing as his robe trailed like a cape giving her some much needed relief for the moment. The ambulance finally came even as the squad cars followed, the EMT racing inside after she waved them on.

Watching as the officers took the goons away after getting her and the Wards statement she told them not to worry and get some sleep, at their protests she told them she'd be staying watch and proved her point by lifting her fridge with a single hand. Nerves frayed she spent the rest of the wee hours of the morning cleaning her house, thankful for when a quiet knock came that she had been expecting, the Parkers there offering to lend a hand. Sitting with a shattered picture frame in her hand she finally made a call she had been dreading, calling her beau and lover Remy to tell him what had happened.

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To say Remy LeBeau was angry was to say a hurricane was a stiff breeze. Remy was so far removed from anger that he had found a dark serenity of hate as he walked up to the building. The call from Marie had been the very last thing he had expected, that they'd dare attack his home. The name Remy LeBeau still carried a lot of weight in New York, more so after the peace between the Guilds over the blood debt. Someone was either out to make a name for themselves on this night, or were so ignorant of the ire they had roused that they might as well jump in the Hudson holding a cinder block. It was time Remy LeBeau set the record straight tonight just what kind of cred he had on the street as he kicked in the door. "Fifty two card pick up Gents!" Remy yelled at the top of his voice, scattering charged cards and watching the destruction left in their wake.

From everything he had learned these were a bunch of ex-Russian military trying to model themselves as Mafia. Throwing himself behind a crate he couldn't help but notice the cyrillic, the words meaningless but recognizing it for one of Russia's most loved exports, genuine AK-47s. Pressing his hand against the crate he charged the box and dove for cover behind another yards away. "_Bishop, de other two might not need to, but dis t'ief be telling you to duck."_ He remembered what he had done to the crate and what it contained as he focused on the rapport, feeling relief as Bishop acknowledged with a thought of his present cover behind a wall at the other end of the warehouse.

As the crate finally exploded the bullets housed in the clips that said unused beside the rifles erupted in a barrage of gunfire sending the wannabe Mafioso diving for cover even as several fell to the deadly rain. Under cover fire from Bishop Remy raced out onto the floor looking for the man he had followed here, the Brute himself. But it wasn't the Brute Remy was after, it had been the man he served under, standing there wielding a pair of fifty cal pistols as he shot up at Bishop. The Brute tried to warn him only to catch a punch to the throat that sent him to the floor struggling to breath. The man spun in the last second to Remy, pistols poised and fingers ready to shoot, yet for all the hate and bloodlust in his eyes he couldn't.

"_Next time you pull that stunt give me a little warning would ya Mate?"_ Jono called through the rapport, having seized control of the man's motor skills at the last second, a trick he had learned from Emma. "_Sorry."_ For as much as Remy wanted to believe he was, he wasn't. Relieving the man of his pistols he pointed them at the Russian and pulled the triggers even as his friends cried out in shock and anger. No report called but a mute click, the rounds having already been spent. Grinning he spun them around to take the barrel in his hand, pistol whipping the man. "_Show off."_ Jono remarked realizing his friend had known all along he'd have been safe.

"De police will be here soon, de question be will dey be here soon enough?" Remy looked at the Russians, watching as they struggled to reload their weapons. Reaching into his pocket he gripped what lie there, charging them as he spun around the room and let it fly in an arch of purple haze. The ball bearings he had erupted and pelted the men, cries of anguish erupting as they dove for cover those that could find it. The man at his feet struggled against the thrall of Jono's will, but Jono had fought and won against Omega Red himself, this man at Remy's feet was nothing but a foot solider with delusions of grandeur. He lay helpless as he watched those who had served him fall under the assault.

Remy finally turned on this man as he yanked him to his feet, his demon eyes leaking energy as his teeth clenched. "What is your name, garcon?" He longed to just throw him from the pier but knew he had to uphold a code of honour. "Piotr." The man spat, it only angered Remy more. "You don't deserve that name." Cracking his own skull against his Remy tossed the man to the ground and finally looked about the warehouse, noticing the illegal weapons and munitions that stood stacked. Whoever the hell these guys were and their delusions of being Mafioso, someone had paid for this kind of merchandise, and that was someone Remy wanted to know very well.

"Who was your buyer?" The man, for he had no name as far as Remy was concerned looked up at him defiantly. "Buyer, now." The laugh the man had now left him struggling for control. "Give me de fucking name now you piece of shit!" Remy erupted as he pulled the man from the ground, gripping him by the lower jaw even as he charged his very teeth. The panic in the mans' eyes let Remy know he had it now. "Jefferson! His name was Jefferson!" As much as Remy wanted to he let his gift fade from the man, he could smell the stink of piss and shit as he fell limp to the floor. He wasn't proud of anything he'd done this night, the vision of his family dancing in his eyes. Fighting against tears he left knowing Bishop would take over, feeling spent and tired as he stumbled to the Impala.

"_We got this Mate, get outta here."_ Clutching at his eyes and feeling his chest heave, Remy appeared to nod to himself as he sent his thanks down the rapport. Right now there was only one place he wanted to be as he gunned the engine and squealed off into the night. Hours later he finally arrived at the one place he could always call home even as the sun broke above the canopy of the forest that lined its property. With the grace of the thief he'd always be he crept through the house until he finally found the door, quietly opening it. Despite everything he knew he still felt surprise at finding Marie sitting on the windowsill as she watched over the sleeping twins.

"What took ya Swamprat?" He could see the signs she had been crying at one point, closing the distance between them to plant butterfly kisses upon her lids. "Business." Easing her into the room she climbed into his arms as they both sat under the window between the girl's beds. The walls had pictures of them both, memories of the very different childhood the girls had known, from Jubilee's little Wolvie years, to Lee sharing a class photo with the rest of the kids from Generation X. It was the picture over the door though that had Remy hugging his wife as if to let her go would be to simply drown, the night down at the boat house when they had all become one family.

"We doing the right thing Chere?" Remy asked in a whisper against her ear, nuzzling it softly. "Yes, yes Remy we are. It'll hurt at times and won't be easy, but tonight ya all saved some people who don't got no crazy powers or super hero friends." He couldn't argue with that as he pulled his last deck of cards from his jacket pocket. "Remy tell your fortune Chere, de cards never lie." Marie smiled as she watched him shuffle the deck quietly, tossing down a King and Queen of hearts. "Husband and wife in love Chere, good omen." She could feel his hot breath on her neck as he gave the deck another shuffle. Even as Remy tossed another card from the deck Marie plucked the king and queen from the floor.

"We make our own fortune now." Pulling her beau into her arms Marie and Remy quietly left their daughters alone as they quietly shut the door behind them. As tired as both were they knew they'd not find any sleep and started to stroll down to the kitchen. Watching Remy make her breakfast Marie toyed with the deck, noticing one was missing. "What do the cards have to say about that one?" She asked quietly, a smile tugging at her lips. Upstairs between the two girls bed the Ace of Hearts sat where they had before. "Dat card represent all kinds of love Chere, you know that."


	19. The Long Game

_Thanks to deathgeonous and and Jean1 for the reviews, and everyone else over the years. Just felt I had to get an update out today noticing it was a bit of an anniversary for the story. Enjoy!_

Robert Drake, Bobby to his friends, walked down the streets of New York enjoying the warm fall day. Atop his shoulders his son sat, Everett Angelo who gawked at the towering buildings in the man wrought canyon of steel and concrete. Grasped in the boys hand was a small waffle cone of authentic vanilla that his mother loved so much, kept at the perfect temperature as to not drip on his Daddy dearest. At his side were his nieces, Jubilee and Lee LeBeau, as well as Ben Parker. If there was one thing Bobby enjoyed, it was playing Mister Mom, happily raising his son and any future offspring he and Misses Emma Frost Drake might have. Occasionally he'd contract out as an X-man or more likely be aiding Marie in her efforts to save the world all by herself, but on this day he was playing babysitter and loving every minute of it.

"Alright kiddies, whatever we go see has to be Everett friendly, so if you want to hit up the cinema start thinking. You've already spent your allowance so the shopping spree is done, and no Lee you cannot swindle another dime out of me as Emma took the precaution of only giving me cash today for lunch and movies. As for you two," Bobby began watching the innocent PDA Jubilee and Ben where having, "Save it for the nice dark, secluded theatre." Jubilee released Ben from her hug, the lipstick kiss on his cheek standing out against his blush. "Sorry Bobby, will do." Jubilee apologised even as she took Ben's hand in her own as the pair skipped off after the others.

"Ugh Drake, I'm hungry! Can we get something to eat before the movies, you only let us get a single scoop at the ice cream shop." Lee whined even as her stomach growled. "Ahem Missus, that's Uncle Drake to you." Lee glaring at him didn't stop him smiling, ruffling the girl's hair playfully as he kept walking. "Dude, there's only three people in the world I'll get totally family style with. Momma Marie, Auntie Emma, and Grand Papa Jean Luc. Nice try." Looking crestfallen Bobby perked up as his son giggled at the antics of his cousins. "Okay fine, four, but lil Cuz Everett is just a darling, any future X-kiddies of course an exception to the previous statement."

None too long later they stood before the marquee of the Cinema trying to figure out a movie to watch. "You know what I miss, animation, hand drawn cell by cell animation. CGI just feels like a cop out." Lee grumbled finding the only movies suitable for Everett Angelo to be from the computer generated House of Disney and their associates. "Oh my god Lee that's totally last Millennium, you want a rotary phone with your whine?" Jubilee countered, tackling her sister and taking a few phantom punches at her which the girl easily countered. Ben and Bobby simply watched the girls with smirks on their faces, deciding on some sequel to a hit series involving pandas and martial arts.

Tickets bought and snacks in hand the group hit the movie, Lee already nibbling at her nachos and hot dog. Bobby found a nice secluded row of seats and settled in a few apart of the two love birds even as he heard them giggling once the lights went out. Holding his son in his arms Bobby relished the family time he so loved, tickling his son and earning peals of laughter from him as the animated characters told their tale upon the screen. Throughout the film he threw glances as his dear niece Jubilee who had settled into the seat of her beau Ben, the boy holing her with all six arms tenderly. Lee sat in her chair nodding off, the animated adventures of the panda simply not enough to keep her from her nap after her hotdog and nachos. Everett Angelo was enthralled of course, hugging his Daddy at the heart rending moments of his generation as much as Bambi surely had the elder Drake himself hugging his mothers coat tails crying.

With the end credits rolling Bobby couldn't resist as he dropped a couple of ice cubes down the back of Lee's shirt, the sudden scream worth the petite punches the girl threw. "Oh my god I am going to kill you when I get older!" Lee growled, Everett laughing his tiny lungs out as he repeatedly called _Lil Wolvie_ pointing at Lee. Joining the crowd in the exodus of the threatre the twins Jubilation wore their 3D glasses out as if trying to set a new trend, Ben and Bobby simply tossing theirs into the large blue bin outside the doors. Twenty minutes later found them on a street corner bored and looking for something to do.

"We could go to the Museum or Art Gallery?" Bobby offered, earning groans from the girls even as Ben looked interested in the Museum. Smiling to himself he expected that response as he bounced Everett on his knee. "Think your dad could get us a tour of the Bugle?" Bobby asked as he looked down to the Junior Parker. "I could send him a text and find out." Ben replied while he searched for his cell, punching away at the keypad once in hand. The twins had broken out into another bout of phantom martial arts, Bobby only now noticing the truth in their form watching their moves, memories of Lee's previous life playing out, the girls switching roles of attacker and defender in the mock battles.

Ben's phone vibrated but instead of the expression Bobby expected he noticed a worried look on the boys face. "What's up Ben?" Ben typed away at his phone until finally regarding his chaperone. "Dad's busy with a bank robbery he said, it's about four blocks over. Could you go help him Mister Drake?" The worry in the boys eyes shocked Bobby, realizing someday his own son might hold such a look in his eyes. "No problem Ben, one Iceman coming up. Jubilations, you two watch after your cousin alright? I'll be back in no time." The look in Lee's eyes had her wanting to join him he knew, but a stern look had her grumbling even as she took her cousin in her arms. "Here's the rest of the cash, go hit up the coffee shop over there. We'll be back in no time once we got this wrapped up."

Icing up Bobby felt that other side of himself take over, the hero, a defender of everything that he held to be dear in this world. Ice slides would be hazard in the traffic of New York City, but if there was one thing he'd learnt from the latest addition to the family of the X was that you didn't honestly need to fly to be able to soar. Watching as a truck passed he ran and leapt at it, freezing his hand to it for a moment even as he gained momentum. Hurling himself up to a lamp post he threw out a burst of ice that had him spinning with a gymnast's flare until finally he was racing along the sides of buildings on a thin sheet of ice, easily vaulting to another tower. While he might not be genuinely webslinging he had a feeling Spider-man would be proud as Bobby wave his way through the streets to the call of sirens.

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"No way! No, decaf, please? Oh god not the chocolate syrup. You're killing me, don't listen to them you don't have to deal with them!" Ben groaned even as the barista loaded up two sugary abominations of coffee for the twins Jubilation with all the fixings. The apathetic girl behind the counter looked at him and then the girls, suddenly realizing she might have made a mistake with the covetous look the girls gave their drinks. "That'll be twelve sixty dear, just remember there's always a crash with that much sugar." Ben handed over a twenty and took the change, tossing back a few dollars as a tip fearing what mischief the girls might get into loaded up on that much sugar and caffeine.

Everett Angelo sat at their table colouring away at the placemat with the twins upon either side of him, Ben noticing how the female population of the coffee shop seemed to be talking about either how much a sweet heart the boy was or how adorable he looked with his 'girlfriends', harmlessly unknowing the true relation between the trio. Looking to his phone again he checked up on the news via the hotspot, hoping for updates of his Dad and Bobby about the bank robbery. After a digital eternity he finally caught a live feed via one of the major networks, his heart breaking as he saw his dad sent flying back through the air to smash into a police car, the assailant none other than the Rhino, Alex O'Hirn. From the feed Ben watched as Bobby threw up walls of ice against the Rhino, shattered as if nothing more than glass while the man bowed his head and tore through them with his loot thrown over his shoulders.

"Freeze his ass Bobby!" Jubilee yelped as she finally took note of the news feed on the phone, suddenly realizing her mistake. "Oh my god Ev, I'm so bad, your Momma's gonna kill me. Please don't say that word, it's a bad word, it's bad like vegetables!" Everett Angelo grinned to his cousin, the twins seeing a look all too familiar of his father in the boys eyes. "No, no, Ev, please don't pick up your cousins bad habits." Lee retorted as she offered the boy an apple slice from his meal. Ben smiled despite himself at the girls antics, watching the newscast when he realised something was a miss. "He's coming this way."

"What?" Jubilee asked as she looked up from Ev, noticing how fearful her beau was. "The Rhino, he's coming this way!" Panic sent a cold chill down his spine as he looked at the packed coffee house and the streets outside. They had to do something, they had to warn them, the Rhino was coming this way. "Get away from the windows, everyone, get behind something! The Rhino is coming!" Ben yelled even as he ushered the girls behind the barista bar as the staff yelled at him. "Get down!" He wondered if this is what it felt like for his Dad, trying to do what was right only to have everyone second guess him. The thunder of cars crushing and screams from panicked people broke the spell of apathy as people dove to the ground even as a car was sent hurtling at the coffee shop by the heartless and careless Rhino.

Ben knew what he had to do then, even as his legs fought to find strength in the tales of his father. Six arms ripping free of his jacket he leapt through the pane glass window to catch the car, feeling the sting of glass in his flesh as his feet dug for purchase against the sidewalk. He felt like he'd been set afire for the wounds he suffered, but as he looked back to the families and souls in the coffee shop he knew it'd been worth it, letting the car crash to the ground, too spent and tired even as screams filled the air.

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Jubilee stood motionless watching the love of her life save everyone in the coffee shop, laying bleeding and weak on the street before her. She knew from the tales her family told her that she'd been protected, loved and cared for, she'd never known pain. Right now she knew a pain that threatened to tear her soul in half even as she walked through the ruined storefront to Ben, an ache in her chest that could never be healed. People ran to Ben, lifting him up as if a messiah whose wounds needed to be cleansed. She knew they'd take care of him even if she wasn't the telepath her Aunites were. She was a psonic vessel so much like her big bro Jono, she was a vessel filled to the brim and ready to boil over as she screamed profanities that would have made her Uncle Wolvie blush, called for the blood of the man who had shattered the peace of her life.

She watched as he turned and arched an eyebrow at her knowing she looked nothing more than a slip of a girl. The grin he had now was mocking that only added to her hate of him. Through the rapport she called on her sister in a way she had never had before, called for the experience that had saved her time and again, that had her live through her times with the X-men and her Uncle Wolvie, her times with Generation X. Reaching into her pocket she picked out the gifts her father had given her with a promise to only use them when the time was right, a collapsable bo staff and a deck of cards. Eyes glowing a sapphire as pure as gemstone she raced out of the coffee shop with a scream as she faced the Rhino.

The first volley of cards flew at the Rhino while she could feel her sister in the back of her mind, asking a mother to watch over her cousin. A lucky jab landed in the eye of the beast that blinded him for a moment, shrugged off as if he had no more than dust in his eye. It was enough as she landed near him, charging the very ground with psonic energy. Dancing free of the blast she watched as he was sent flying into the air to land hard in the street, the asphalt cracking under his weight. Cards in hand Jubilee landed in a crouch and eyed her fallen opponent, willing him to stand up. "Bank Robberies are so last Century Dude!" Sure enough the Rhino stumbled to his feet, angrily looking at her. "You little bitch!"

As he charged at her she knew he'd never make it, feeling anger and hate filling the rapport with memories that weren't her own flashin before her eyes. Her sisters power always worked the strongest in panic or angry, right now Lee LeBeau was furious. **Paff. **Colours that would make the northern lights envious erupted as the Rhino was sent flying into a building. Grinning Jubilee drew her full deck, charging the cards with psonic energy letting them fly at the criminal, the man fighting against the stream of energy that fought to keep him in place. "Bait and switch asshole!" Lee roared, having ducked under the man until she lay underneath him, her fists glowing with unspent energy. The Rhino suddenly knew what it was to fly as he soared into the sky, people some ten stories up who would tell tale of seeing him fly past their windows.

The Rhino came crashing down into the streets with a resounding crack that sent cars blocks away shuddering, alarms squawking into the afternoon. Lee stood shakily and fought to focus her eyes even as Jubilee ran to catch her, Ben laying near the shop as people tended to his wounds. The dust settled over the Rhino who spat blood on the pavement as he looked to the group. "Playtime is over kiddies." He didn't know how truthful his statement had been as everyone looked up, a furious Bobby Drake and Spider-Man in the air above. Fighting for control Bobby risked something he'd never tried before, lowing the core temperature of the Rhino until the man entered a state of hypothermia, suddenly too weak break the webbing of Spider-man that bound him to the pavement.

"Kids!' Bobby and Peter both cried out, Bobby racing to the twins asking of his son even as Peter made a line towards Ben. From the crowd the enlisted mother came forth with a young and scared Everett Angelo, Bobby shedding his Iceman guise and taking him into his arms. Peter looked down at his son with a knot of pain in his stomach, glass and cuts littering the boy even as distant sirens promised aid. "Ben? You okay Ben?" The boy nodded as he looked up to him, the people about him telling of the bravery of the boy. Peter felt tears in his eyes, not of pain or grief but pride. "I'm Okay Dad, did I do ya proud?" Ben asked as he pointed to the car he had stopped.

Peter looked on, looked to the respect and gratitude in their eyes, an impulse gripping him even as he tore his mask free. "You made me proud son, you made me damn proud to have you as my boy." Ignoring the surprise of the crowd he pulled his son into his arms and hugged him gently and mindfully of his wounds. They had all made him proud this day, made him proud of everything he stood for as he watched a group of Meta Liason Police haul the Rhino away, obvious SHIELD tech employed. It wasn't long before the fatigued twins joined his sons side, telling Peter of how Ben bravery leapt through the window to stop the car. Bobby stood near, casting him a wink as he held his own son, Peter wondering what the future would hold for the boy. Painfully Peter let go of his son as the ambulance finally arrived on scene, Ben their priority.

The clap that arose from the crowd was what finally did it, starting off slow as the boy was lifted into onto a gurney. By the time the father and son climbed into the back of the ambulance it was a full eruption of hands and shouted thanks. Despite knowing his boy was safe Peter felt sobs wrack his chest as he sat there holding his son's hand. Knowing MJ would be watching, he fumbled for his phone and dreaded the call. Instead of the Tigress roaring at him for worry over her wounded Cub, he listened to her quiet and thankful voice, veiled threats still promising if he ever let it happen again she'd kill him yet somehow it sounded like she knew her little cub was growing up.

Bobby sat with the twins in his arms and his son on his lap as they watched the ambulance drive off. Lee sat quietly leaning into his embrace while Jubilee regaled him of the tale of their trip to the coffee shop, how they all made sure little Everett Angelo was safe before trying to stall the Rhino. Listening to the girls he watched the crowd part, knowing she had come even as he heard her heels clicking sharply as she raced towards them. He thought she'd yell, blame him for what happened, instead she fell on them all and threw her arms about them in a loving embrace, her frosty facade cracking as she openly cried and whispered of her worries after finally hearing of the news.

Pulling an arm free from Lee he wrapped it about Emma and drew her into his lap with their son, whispering his love in her ear. The twins joined him, Jubilee simply opening the rapport to her as she shared their bond with her who meant so much to them. Unbeknownst to them all a man stood off in the crowd and snapped picture after picture of them, a sinister smile on his lips as he stepped back into the masses that milled about the scene, vanishing without a trace.

-=+=–=+=–=+=–=+=–=+=-

Alex O'Hirn sat across from the man, himself wearing a prison jump suit and a scowl. The man across from him looked the same as the man he'd met, yet instead of the name he'd been given then he wore a name tag that spoke of a different man, a man who was his lawyer. "I did what you wanted, followed your escape route, you said you'd cover for me no matter what happened." The grin the man gave him had Alex fighting against his restraints, specially ordered to hold him courtesy of SHIELD. "You back stabbing two timing scumbag!" Alex roared as he longed to wipe the smile from the man's face. "Oh, you have me mistaken for someone who cares Alex. I said I'd cover for you, you simply misunderstood what that entitled you to." The man slid a business card across the table, some long winded name with an esquire at the end and a posh sounding law firm underneath.

"They will represent you in your crime, though as you were caught red handed I hardly can promise you anything beyond a fair trial." Staring at the man with cold hatred Alex longed to be free of his restraints so he could bend this slimy sleaze in half. "So what did you get out of all this?" Alex grunted, finally deciding if he was going to go down for this crime he might as well know why. The cold smile the man returned him looked so much like some villain from a twisted sci fi movie that he couldn't help but shudder. "Oh, I got everything I needed and more. Wonderful field data of an old project finally coming to fruition. Even a few recent blood samples, so innocent when a paramedic asks." Cold realization struck Alex then, it had never been about the bank or Spider-man, even that popsicle that had shown up.

"The kid? You're after his kid aren't you?" Already the man known for being a brute and rather dull minded would have proved them wrong as he thought of a plea bargain he could try. "Oh, young Ben Parker is just a bonus, no it was the girls I was most interested in and you preformed perfectly. This revelation will do you little good, go ahead and cry to your lawyers that you were a patsy, it won't do anyone much good in the long run, and trust me, I am a patient man." Struggling against the restraints once more, spittle on his lips, the Rhino wished to do nothing more than to smash this monster into the wall and through the next several. He might not be a nice man, he might beat up some brats getting in his way, but he was no child killer. Roaring in rage he watched as his 'lawyer' left him alone in the cell, the true monster free to roam even as he rotted in jail. But one final trick came to his mind as he realized one thing, he hadn't used his one phone call yet.

-=+=–=+=–=+=–=+=-

The office was different today, even knowing the repercussions of that impulse the day before he hadn't expected it to be so quiet. Men and women he'd worked with for years looked at him differently, treated him differently, but he supposed he owed them more than the usual banter of a Monday morning. Massaging the bridge of his nose he looked at them, finally calling their attention upon the press room floor. "I have both an announcement and an apology to give to you all. I have kept a secret from you, I am the Spider Man." Mummers ran through the crowd, Peter standing there awkwardly as the Editor in Chief of the Daily Bugle. From the crowd Betty Brant strode, owner of the Bugle and long time friend, slapping the man before her with a crack that silenced all. "I'll have none of this in my paper, get back to work all of you. Parker, my office now." Stunned to silence Peter watched Betty stalk off, his staff returning to their daily grind as if nothing more than the usual office drama had erupted.

Minutes later Peter sat at the desk of Betty Brant, looking to the woman more fearful than many of the enemies he had faced over his years as the Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-man. She had poured herself a cocktail, sipping it even as she looked at him. "How's Ben?" The question was innocent, Peter had told her of his son's manifestation months ago. "Sore yet fine, MJ has him home right now in bed. His school is supposed to be sending over their nurse to help out a little." The 'nurse' was none other than his old friend Hank McCoy, fellow reserve Avenger and resident genius of the Super Hero community. Silence hung between them as they looked to one another.

"He's a good kid you know, you keep him safe." Betty sipped her cocktail, looking distantly at the press floor from her office. "I've always tried, just...just found out yesterday I can't always be there for him, that he can take care of himself." The truth of his words shocked Peter as he stared down at the desk. "You're still not forgiven for keeping that a secret all these years, but...I'll be here if you need me, as always." Betty handed him a drink of his own, her eyes misty with a silly grin on her face. Peter took up the glass and raised it to his friend, "Here's to JJ, the man could be the biggest ass at times, but he always followed his heart." Betty raised her glass to him in toast, Peter joining her in drinking down the rum and coke she had poured for him, feeling scared for his son still yet feeling a weight taken from his shoulders as the truth finally set him free.

The two shared a comfortable silence until finally a phone rang, Betty looking annoyed as she threw it on the speaker. "Missus Brant, I'm sorry to disturb you, there is a call for Mister Parker, from...from the Rhino." Peter watched as Betty massaged the bridge of her nose, taking another sip of her drink before finally looking at her phone. "Put it on." Peter listened even as the man he'd normally heard bellowing with rage sounded quiet and secretive. "This you Spider-Man?" Sure enough it was the Rhino, yet something about his tone sent shivers down Peter's spine. For a moment he was about to let the Spider-man voice fall free of his lips, suddenly feeling the futility of it. "Yes Alex, this is he, you can call me Peter." It felt so weird disclosing a secret he had kept for all these years from friend and foe alike, but with friends like the LeBeau's only a few blocks away he didn't feel as worried as he had in years past.

"Listen, I was set up. Some freakishly pale white guy paid me to rob that bank, said he needed to check on some stuff. I won't lie and say I'm some brainy guy like Doc Oc, but I tell ya man, I was set up. He was here, he wasn't even after you. He was after the kids. The girls and your boy! I don't even care about this rap, it's not like I haven't done time, but I ain't no child killer man, you got to believe me." Peter felt his blood freeze in his veins, his glass falling to the floor only to shatter. Betty looked pale even as she summoned her strength. "Thank you Mister O'Hirn, we'll be in touch. Mister Parker has to attend to a family matter thanks to you, good day." Peter looked to Betty with fear and panic in his eyes, the gravity of everything that had been said so earnestly hitting him. "Go, get the hell out of here Peter! I'll call MJ for you, just go!"

Had it not been for his innate dexterity he'd surely have sent his staff sprawling even as he raced to his office, throwing open the window and pulling his web shooters from the hidden drawer of his desk. The city knew the Spider-man for years, the scarlet clad spider, but only yesterday they had met the man behind the mask. Leaping from his office window he slung his way through the office towers even amidst the shocked cries as people pointed to him. Right now there was only one place he needed to be and that was home, home beside his son and wife even as he knew Betty phoned MJ with the warning of the family who were the ultimate target, the LeBeau's.

-=+=–=+=–=+=–=+=-

Brimstone and Sulfur erupted in the room, a fatigued Kurt Wagner falling unconscious to the floor in the guest bedroom of the Parker home. Remy and Marie LeBeau looked around in a panic only to find their worst fears hadn't past, the two girls roused from their slumber by their parent's sudden arrival. The phone call had only been moments ago, but Kurt had roused every ounce of strength he had to teleport the fearful parents from Xavier's to Manhattan in a single leap. "MJ! Ben!" Marie cried out realizing Remy could take care of the girls. Motherly fear gripped her as she threw the familiar door open and raced down the hall until finally finding her friend and her dear son looking at her in shock.

"Who wants my son!" MJ asked while she held him in her arms with pale fear on her delicate features. Marie had her own worries even as she fell to her knees, hugging her friend and promising to let nothing harm her boy. It had been so many years now she wanted to think he had given up, had forgotten. Instead she watched Remy walk in, a card in his fingers and hatred and anger in his eyes. The truth was written before her as she looked at the card, the Ace of Diamonds. "We end this now." Gone from him was his Cajun drawl, the playful Gambit, in it's place stood a father who feared for the safety of his family no mater how large it had become.

Behind him stood Peter, the same anger and fear in his eyes as he finally raced to his wife and child, promising to let nothing happen to them while he still drew breath. "We'll take you and Ben to Xavier's, we'll handle this so we can come home just the way it's always been." Peter promised with Remy nodding ascent. It would be hours later until they all found themselves stumbling into the foyer of the Xavier School, Emma's limo trailing off into the distance. Fatigue dogging them they all stumbled in, Marie unable to notice the ease in her friend as the family of the X came to help her with her bags. The whirlwind of change with the beginnings of one simple phone call had finally settled, the Parker clan taking Ororo's room while the weather goddess chose to bunk in the greenhouse she loved so much. The familiarity of the school helped the children ease into the usual routine, helped waylay the sense of danger the abrupt trip had spurred. Though their seniors stood on edge with the Sinister revelation.

-=+=–=+=–=+=–=+=-

"I found it in de guest room of de Parkers, where my petites were staying! He's laughing at us!" Remy roared as he tossed the card on the table, the Ace of Diamonds. It took every ounce of control not to charge the card and destroy the vile reminder of how his children's safety had been mocked, how the sanctity of his friends home had been violated. Spinning on his heel he punched a wall and knew well he might have broken something even as he relished the pain as a distraction from everything that had happened. The echoed _snickt_ of adamantium claws tearing free of flesh let him know father and daughter both had caught the same stink on the card, Remy still not daring to ask where Laura had met Sinister to know evil when she saw it.

As much as he wanted to hold onto the anger and the rage right now he knew he was wrong while the tender arms wrapped about him, he joined her in the grief she knew as his demon eyes finally let angry tears fall in the embrace of his wife. After everything they'd been through, fleeing his home a second time, a home he wanted his family to know, that monster had found him again. "He just declared war." Remy looked up from his wife's shoulder unable to meet the gaze of the man for the ruby quartz that held his immense power in check. The subtle nod Scott Summers gave Remy then spoke volumes, both men pawns in the twisted machinations of Nathaniel Essex, known the world over as Mister Sinister. On this night it seemed the villain had pushed too hard this time, this time earning the full retribution of the family of the X to shake the stigma of his curse.

"Logan, I swore I'd never say this again after the last time, but please assemble X-force." While Remy knew the feral Canadian and Scott had never truthfully seen eye to eye, he knew right now some secret he'd never heard of had met the light of day again. "You don't gotta ask this time man. Laura darling call Jono, we got work to do." Remy watched as the stout Canadian stalked off with fists clenched, even the years he'd worked with the man he'd never seen him this way. Pausing at the door Logan looked over his shoulder, "No one's hurting our Darlin's Gumbo, not while I'm still drawin' breath."


	20. The Hunt for Sinister

_Marvel owns the X-men, no profit to be made from this work._

_Authors Note : Sorry this chapter took so long, I hope you all enjoy it._

Scott had to admit the network was crafted with the vile genius of the man who'd tormented his life through the shadows for longer than he could remember, perhaps before he came into the mutant birthright that cursed him as much as it blessed him. Reports were coming in from five different continents, X-force leading the way with Logan at the helm as a man possessed. Nurses and doctors, clerks and lawyers, public servants. They all had the same tale to tell, a man offering to be their patron for favours, an offer too good to be true yet they couldn't deny themselves. Nathaniel Essex had an information network that rivalled some spy agencies Scott thought, the computer network they used seemed impenetrable to their best efforts to crack the encryption.

The list came in slowly, confirmed again and again by the various agents interrogated upon their capture, drilled for details they might not have thought of otherwise. At the top of the list in all cases were his own family, the Summers, the LeBeau's, and the Guthrie's. Calls would have to be made to the others that appeared to warn them, yet for now he could let others deal with that. For now he watched the representation of the world that spread before him upon the table, the holographic sphere spinning slowly with the play of night and day shown as continents fell to the dark side, cities of fireflies laying upon coastlines and continents. Somewhere within this world he lurked, the self proclaimed Mister Sinister as no other nom de plume could suit the twisted genetic deviant.

With the chime at the door of the War Room Scott knew his shift was up as much as he longed to press on into the mysterious network to search for the worm at the rotten core. Jotting down the last of his notes he heard the door open and looked up to see the most recent addition to the Family of the X, Peter Parker wearing a house coat and slippers carrying two cups of steaming coffee. Instantly Scott's stomach twisted in hunger at the aroma, smiling to the man as he handed the offered cup. "Jean said if you don't come to bed within the next half hour she'll assume control of your body and march you there herself." Peter said with a touch of mirth looking over the gathered information with the practised ease his job had taught him over the years. Scott nodded in return sipping upon the heavenly brew as he savoured it, long hours on call had him too busy to freshen his stale cup.

"He can't hide forever." Peter offered though both men couldn't say so with certainty even as they tried to believe the lie. "We'll make it very hard for him to." Scott offered, already pulling favours and offering them to agencies around the world in the search, S.H.I.E.L.D at the forefront of his efforts to route Sinister from his hiding place even as he felt the man was laughing at him. In the back of his mind he could feel the poking of his wife smiling despite his dour mood as he downed the last of his coffee and placed a hand upon Parker's shoulder. "We'll make it damned hard for the bastard." Parker was another name upon the list, by no means high with the lists they'd gathered from the agents so far, yet to appear on it at all meant the mad man's gaze had fell over the household, a gaze Scott wished to meet once again if to finally end the nightmare.

Returning to the school level of Xavier's Scott realized he'd worked through another night only to greet the dawn, students racing down the halls to the breakfast commons. Not fighting the flow he ambled in with them to see his love serving breakfast to the students with telekinetic ease as she herself sipped her mug of coffee. With so many of their friends and compatriots off on the hunt for Sinister they chose to remain behind to guard the school and the dream entrusted to them, both powerful in their own right yet others joining in the rear guard as Scott noticed Bobby off in a corner playing checkers against Ben. The twins were off devouring their pancakes with their friends, Scott hardly able to tell the girls apart with his fatigued state of mind.

"_Sit with me._" Jean's beckon left him trudging to the table and sitting next to his wife and the love of his life, picking away at the offered plate of breakfast as he looked over the next generation of his people. "_Monet offered to teach your classes for the day, though you still have the usual paperwork to catch up on._" Rolling his head as his neck cracked with stiffness he smiled to Jean and placed a gentle kiss upon her brow, his love and adoration sent through their rapport enjoying the blush upon her cheeks. "I'll catch a nap and then get to that paperwork, I'm sorry for last night." Warren had been scheduled to work the later half of the shift he ended up working, pulling a double that left him unwittingly greeting the dawn. The touch of her hand upon his was all he needed to know, her forgiveness a blessed relief.

Breakfast finished Scott left the commons to their own bedroom as he stripped out of his civvies. The shower was exactly what he needed as he stood under the spray until the aches and tension in his muscles melted away. Twisting the knobs he turned off the spray and stared at the mirror. He thought back to the list and felt a wave of anger take hold of him as he gripped the skin, jaw clenched with his teeth grinding against another. So many chances to have ended this fight had come and gone, his own code of honour tearing him away from the moment of victory to preserve his humanity even as Sinister slithered away. This time it would be over Scott swore to himself as his brow rested against the cold glass of the mirror. The hounds had been sent coursing, as soon as the hare showed Scott would be there to end it. Retiring from the bath he strode to his bed and the troubled sleep he knew awaited him even as he fell upon the soft covers.

-=+=–=+=–=+=–=+=-

Domino lay at his side and read off the range, wind speed, air pressure. He listened to the words and felt his world expand with the knowledge, twisting the knobs upon his scope to adjust as he lead his shot. Kilometres away the convoy rambled across the desert road upon guard for attack, unknowing of what hell was to be released upon them in the moment. The trigger rested against his finger with the promise of destruction unfurled at the merest flicker of a muscle. In his mind he heard the words then, the kill order. The trigger was pulled, the beam from his rifle tore through the air with a clap of thunder at the destruction in its wake leaving hard vacuum, the lead truck in the convoy erupting into a fireball. Domino and himself fell from the ridge knowing their position had been given away, all part of the trap as he looked to the young man standing behind them and offering him a rare wink.

Cable had to admit that Hank did good work when he was angry and pissed off, the beam sniper rifle was a toy he'd hope to play with some more as he slung it over his shoulder and followed after Domino. In his stead Jonothon Starsmore stood with psonic energy tightly coiled within him, Cable able to feel just the sheer strength of the youth as he reached out with his own mind. He knew elsewhere Logan and Laura stood ready to act as soon as the mass of the convoy left to investigate the ridge, they knew not it's reason but the benefactor alone was reason enough for the interest. Climbing into his own Jeep he took the shotgun seat and levelled his favoured rifle across his lap, Domino spinning the wheels as they dug for purchase. In a cloud of dust they left the trap set knowing Jonothon would prove very hard to kill indeed.

Elsewhere Logan lay buried in the dirt and detritus of the desert, a grave so shallow he could still smell the stink of the men as they climbed out of their trucks with so many of them racing off, gun oil and a familiar wood speaking of the world's favourite gun in tow, the AK-47. He could smell them as they left, waiting until only a handful remained and had to fight the urge to claw his way free then. He would know when it was right, he'd hear the screams as Jonothon unleashed his rage upon them. With the shift in the wind he caught Laura's scent filled with the same tense and tightly wound emotions, knew she'd wait for his lead and let him take the brunt of the bullets. He had to protect her he knew, closest thing he'd had to a daughter by blood, joining the ranks of so many others that he loved all the same and equally.

He could hear their shouts, calling for the infidel to surrender. He knew Jono had closed the gap between them on foot and wondered just how pissed off the Brit was right now. The shrieks and yells answered the question as gunfire erupted into the late afternoon. The signal came and Logan sprung into action tearing himself free of the grave at the roadside, slashing the first gun levelled at him to pieces as he head butted the man into a forced unconsciousness knowing he'd need answers. The beast was at his back dogging him as he fought to reigned it in as bullets bit into his flesh as an angry swarm of lead locus, so many falling to him yet all able to survive this day if they'd just give up their benefactor. The large transport was their target as he saw Laura join him, bloodied and screaming men left behind the pair.

Slicing through the lock on the back doors of the trailer Logan strode in with Laura at his back guarding the entrance. The smell shocked him then, left Logan frozen in an all to familiar memory as he looked about the trailer and clenched his fists so tight that blood fell to the stainless steel floor. With his eyes adjusted he saw the tanks then and walked through the sheets of plastic strips that kept the refrigerated environment within sealed. The tanks were of tempered glass and let him see easily within, bile rising to his throat as faces he hadn't expected to see staring blankly at him. Scott, Alex, Remy all looked as if sleeping, years younger than the men he knew now. He could hear Laura calling for him then, felt the anger at the true cargo that was carried here fill him. "Stay out Darling, Just...just stay out." Steeling himself he walked further in, a young Jean in one with the time lost Rachel Summers in another, yet it was the final one that had him freeze. Two girls almost identical in every way curled together in a tank, the twins undoubtedly, his Darlings.

Rage filled Logan as he looked to the pair and reached out in a way he hadn't need for so very long, reached out to Jono who answered the call then as another mind quickly joined the telepathic link. "_Logan?_" Jean asked in concern as she undoubtedly felt the fear and rage boiling within his psyche then. "_Jeannie, they're safe, tell me for fuck sake they're safe?_" The fear and revulsion he felt from her then left him knowing she'd just seen everything he'd witnessed. "_Yes Logan, the twins are safe, we're all safe. Oh god Logan..."_ Words couldn't express her concern and care for him then, the unrequited love they both shared for another even if she was another's wife and soul. Standing rigid with his palm upon the glass he looked to the pair before him and as much as he longed to end whatever suffering these clones might be feeling he couldn't bring himself to the deed, the thousands he'd killed over the years paling in comparison to the handful of doppelgangers of his friends and family housed within this transport.

-=+=–=+=–=+=–=+=–=+=-

"Brain dead, all of them." The sense of relief throughout the crowd rippled at the announcement by the erstwhile Doctor Nemesis. The Blackbird sat out on the desert basin as the moon hung high overhead, a bonfire burning with the members of X-force consoling another against the grizzly discovery in their hunt for Sinister. "Clones, all of them obviously. Genetic degradation evident from the rapid mitosis and aging of the subjects. Whatever the end he desired I cannot imagine these were the longed for results, yet with the history of Clones clearly documented by Sinister I sincerely am concerned. If these are the waste of his endeavours, I must confess that he surely must have had some success." Logan drank deeply of his bottle of whiskey offering some to Laura, knowing well that Jono would be getting as drunk as his love through the burgeoning rapport forming between the pair.

"What do we do with them?" Cable asked then, Domino next to him cleaning her pistols silently yet listening to everything said despite her uncaring expression. Logan wanted to burn them, bury them, offer them some dignity yet he knew they were a clue to the machinations of Sinister. "We take them to Hank, you and him got a date with this truck." Nemesis looked bored at the idea though a single glare from Logan settled the protest upon the man's lips. "Just how the hell are we going to get this truck to Henry?" Nemesis asked then, Logan only able to grin as he knew it wouldn't be much longer. Already he could feel the deep thrum in his bones as only one thing neared. Pointing up he grinned watching everyone realize the proverbial elephant in the room.

The SHIELD helicarrier breached the horizon and stately crossed the distance until finally it hung overhead, smaller jets and jet packed men and women landing to take control of the scene. Amongst them the unmistakable visage of Henry McCoy lead a crew of men and women who fell upon the transport with a driven purpose. Nemesis suddenly felt insulted and raced off after his peers, cursing and challenging the intelligence of many as they catalogued the horrors within. At the bonfire the members of X-force watched bemused, their job done without flaw and only their morals weighing upon them. "Good work." The words felt hollow to Logan as he left his peers behind, the young couple and the other pair leaving him to his demons. Pulling a cigar from his vest pocket he lit up and savoured the burning within his lungs, the momentary rush even as his body fought against the poison.

Rubbing his eyes he pulled his cell from his pocket and looked to the missed messages, scrolling through them all and an odd sense of amusement at the number of irritated messages from Scott. Old rivalries died hard as he read through them all finally hitting the call button. "Logan?" He sounded tired, join the club Logan thought as he took a puff of his cigar. "Yeah, site is secure. They're all brain dead. Clones. Don't even ask me who, call Nemesis as the prick doesn't give a shit as it is." He could hear the sigh on the other end of the call, knew despite his own petty need for revenge that Scott had stayed behind as the rear guard. "Thanks." It was all Logan needed to say, his gratitude at knowing his Darlings and everyone else he held dear were left in good hands.

"They're doing alright. I, I think Lee is running interference. Jean is helping Jubilee with her training and her with her gift. Ben's been kept busy too, Peter is helping a lot, keeping his staff reporters busy. We'll get him." Logan didn't know how much of it was for Scott or him, yet hearing it all left Logan feeling better for hearing it. He didn't dare ask of Remy and Rogue, he knew the pair were off on their own hunting down the sadistic bastard. They'd check in with a phone call to the kids, an email or text to Scott, Logan didn't know who'd find him first honestly, X-force or the LeBeau's. "Thanks Summers." The phone clicked off, Scott beating him to the punch he thought with a wry grin. Drawing the last of his cigar for a long moment he threw it down to the desert sands and crushed it underfoot, exhaling slowly as smoke wafted upon the night breeze.

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Emma looked over the slumbering pair and felt a smile tug at her, wonder if she and her husband looked the same when they snuggled together only to fall asleep. Remy and Rogue looked ragged and worn, the hunt for Sinister weighing heavy upon everyone of their extended family as it were. The personal plane of Frost Enterprise banked towards the Toronto Island Airport, clearance given to land with her personal pilot landing gently. While Emma had business on behalf of Frost Enterprise in the Canadian metropolis, she knew the LeBeau's had very different business in their hunt for Sinister. "We're here." Emma saw the pair awake with the slight telepathic nudge, reluctantly pull away from another as they stretched and yawned.

"Dat fast, Merde Emma, you get Hank to put any surprises in dis plane?" Remy asked rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "You two must have been a bit more tired than either thought my dear Mister LeBeau, the flight was six hours." From the moment the pair had met her at the airport they'd practically fallen asleep the moment they'd nestled down after take off. "Now, in light of this I have Doctor's orders from dearest Henry for both of you to accompany me to my hotel room and rest for a couple dates. Do not make me call the twins to ensure the orders are followed." Their contact had been none other than a founding member of Alpha Flight, Doctor Walter Langkowski who had been tracking the network of Sinister north of the border who had asked for a meeting. "Of course Emma, Ah'd love to sleep in a bed for the first time in three weeks." Marie said silencing any protest from her beau with a finger upon his lips.

Escorted to the ferry Marie looked over the waterfront of Toronto and the skyline that brought memories of New York to her, the life they had built for each other there, relishing the embrace of Remy who wrapped his arms about her and rested his chin upon her shoulder. "I stole a painting here once from this places art gallery, still got it in storage, de client, he no want to pay Remy, can you believe dat Chere?" Playfully swatting him Marie looked to the dark waters below the Ferry for a moment. "Maybe you should give it back Gumbo, anonymous like?" She could hear him breathing deeply, enjoying her scent as much as she enjoyed the cologne he wore and his own musk every time he got back from the gym. "Mebe I give it back for de reward still out for it, donate dat to some charity de twins like, how about dat?"

"God Remy you always have some angle worked out don't ya?" Spinning in his embrace she felt her back against the railing and looked up to his red on black eyes with him pressed against her. "Mebe yes, mebe non, either way Chere I be liking de current position I be finding you in." The trail of kisses started at her brow and worked to the top of her ear, nibbling down to her lobe with a playful bite before placing one to the tip of her nose, finally stealing her breath with the passion as he stole her lips. Hands firmly upon his bottom Marie lost herself to the embrace, sleep anything on her mind as soon as they arrived to the hotel.

The love making had been everything she remembered of their time trying to have another child, their first without the machinations of another involved or the miraculous return of a dear fiend they'd adopted. The city was quiet beneath them as they sat upon the balcony with bed sheets wrapped about them. "Mebe we bring de twins here when this is all over, Remy always liked this city, just not in de winter." Marie couldn't find protest to the idea and relished the warmth of his arms wrapped about her belly as they still hoped perhaps this time would be the time. "Emma said Walter postponed the meeting for two days, non? Perhaps we go see de sights, might not be Paris and de Eiffel, but this city has it's own tower, dinner mebe?" Marie remembered seeing the tower he spoke of standing tall over the city, the idea of dinner atop it suddenly appealing. "Oui, Dinner, but tomorrow, lets get us some sleep Mister LeBeau. Doctor's orders."

The morning brought the truth of the desert to the three, the call ringing in the suite phone as Emma breakfasted upon strawberries and cream, Marie settling for coffee and toast while Remy stood out on the balcony with coffee and a cigarette. Tense moments later the trio regarded another, their appetites lost. "Henri, please forward de documentation to Walter, merci." Emma rose with the authority of her place as the head of Frost Enterprise and that of the formidable White Queen, the sharp click of heels over the marble tiles retiring to her room returning moments later with her cell to her ear and barking orders. "Co-ordinate with Mister Bishop on security, discretely of course. No, no I'll phone Robert about the situation later, he is on vacation with my son under your care and I surely don't wish for anything to be amiss when his favourite nieces arrive with company. Yes of course you have authorization to inform Misses Summers, she is a telepath after all. Thank you Benji."

"Thank you Emma." Marie said grateful for the godmothers foresight and care. "Jean has already agreed to travel with them to visit Bobby at my chalet, I'm sure the twins won't mind the trip away from school in the middle of the semester." The LeBeau's meeting with Walter wasn't until noon the following day at a local coffee shop, a hang out of the ever changing counter culture as the old was forced out by the new. "Business calls, the suite is yours. Do behave yourselves." Emma left the pair alone as she retreated to the bath to ready herself for the business that had drawn her away from her comfortable offices and her family. Twenty minutes later the pair were out on Yonge Street after making a call, the meeting pushed ahead as they made their way north to the meeting with Walter. Old habits died hard as they surveyed the locale looking for anyone else who might be waiting for the meeting.

Camera in hand the two acted very much as the tourists they were, snapping photographs of another with an eye to the scene behind them, each hamming it with a Devil May Care attitude. Easily a half an hour early with finding no cause for alarm the pair sat at a table and emailed their daughters with the more hilarious pictures taken, promises to be home as soon as all of it was over, love sworn to both. Walter was easy to pick out of the crowd, well over six feet he had the appearance of a football star with the dress of a college student even if he had a Ph.D in Physics from none other than MIT. "The Badger sends his regards." Walter said sitting at the table next to them, ordering a coffee and muffin from the waitress. "The Buffalo roams the woods." Remy returned, codes agreed upon to ensure both were who they said they were with how wily their enemy was. "Good to see you two in person, I suppose I should really introduce myself properly, Walter." Remy took the man's hand in his own, Marie likewise doing so.

"I received Henry's email earlier though I've yet to fully read through the files in detail but the brief he gave left it looking shocking." Among the brilliant minds of Alpha Flight the man known as the Sasquatch came highly revered by Henry, so when the call came the LeBeau's had found the quickest flight north of the border to meet with him discretely. "Oui, but Logan be dealing with dat, we be here to deal with de problem you called us about mon frere." They fell silent as the waitress returned with the coffee and muffin for Walter, looking as casual as they could with the threats they knew existed within the world.

"He's here." Spilt coffee splashed upon Remy's lap as the cup he held crumpled, swearing at the pain. "Sinister?" Walter nodded carefully as he pulled out a tablet and handed it to the pair. "Keep it, it has all the information I've found. In the early half of the decade the government shut down several hospitals in the city, it would appear that despite this one has been steadily receiving funding. At this one has been a man who fits the description of many of the network agents you've uncovered." Marie tapped away at the screen, scrolling through pictures date and time stamped, ambulances pulling in for some, nervous people strolling in through doors past brutes and guards. "We're spread too thin to act on this now, but knowing of your situation I must apologize for taking advantage of it. Of Alpha Flight I am the only one available to assist you." Walter looked about the crowd as he drank his coffee, Remy doing likewise as he covered the backside of the Canadian hero.

"We appreciate this Walter, ya don't now how much. Of course we'll take any help ya could offer." Shutting the tablet down Marie finally took to trying to enjoy her iced coffee, for all the flavour and frills it was tasteless in her mouth with the thought of the horrors being committed in the closed hospital. "You have our number, we'll check in with you once we have a look at de hospital for ourselves, see just what we be getting ourselves into. Once we have a peek we be ready when you are homme, take care." The LeBeau's were the first to leave, Remy strolling to the one street at the intersection the shop sat on, Marie to the other, both looking just as casual tourists as they looked about the crowds that swarmed the busy Toronto street. Walter was the last to leave after catching the eye of Marie, the long walk to his car under the careful gaze of the two X-men until he safely was on his way. Reunited the pair scrambled across the crosswalk making their way back to the hotel to plan their next move.

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"Romantic evenin' huh Sugah?" Marie asked in a whisper of Remy who lay next to her upon the rooftop. The discreet camera had been mounted upon the ledge, the cable running to Remy's laptop as he zoomed in and recorded the exterior of the supposed abandoned hospital, at a keystroke it shifted from low light to infrared, hot spots where there should be none highly suspicious. "Mare dear, hit de third floor window, five deep from de west with de laser, lets see if we can't hear somet'ing." Rolling off to the eaves trough for the roof, Marie counted herself lucky that the window was in sight of the trough, the laser coming to life as a discreet red dot alighted upon the pane glass window. Through her headset she heard nothing more than ominous background noise, machinery rumbling away yet not a voice.

"Nothin', anywhere else?" She could hear the whine and whirl of the servos as the camera scanned the building, going quiet as Remy stared at the screen. "Second floor from the top, three deep from the east." Rolling to hide behind a smoke stack of the roof Marie found the window and hit it with the laser, voices distantly heard as she hit the record button on her headset. "Got somethin' Sugah, can't make it out, we'll have ta play with it back at base." They'd blanketed the entire building to find only the south east side showed any signs of use, other than the hot spots on the infrared it appeared as it should have been, vacant and empty.

The minutes ticked away slowly as the murmur of voices carried on, Remy leaving the laptop to stand guard with cards in one hand, bo staff retracted in the other. As sure as they were that they hadn't tipped anyone off to their presence, only a fool would think Sinister one. The voices died with the recognizable sound of a door slamming, Marie switching off the laser snooping device then to return to the safety of the showed sill of the building. Below the camera caught the heat signatures of five people leaving, two still yet inside standing at the door as it closed. With a keystroke the image faded back to low light, Remy working the camera to capture the faces of the retreating bodies, snapshots taken quickly of each as the camera swivelled tracking them until finally every last of them had vanished into the night. "Either it's Sinister or dat be de most academic lookin' grow op Remy ever seen."

"Guess we'll find out tomorrow evening, lets head back and get Walter to look at the intel, get ourselves some sleep before the big game." Marie had already started to pack up her gear, Remy racing about the rooftop with that grace she so loved to watch leaving behind some cameras to snoop on the daily going on's of the day, a quick cell call to them and they could get a live feed and download it before they headed out. Wriggling into her harness crafted from a tandem parachute assembly she relished the nearness of Remy as he strapped in, the pair flying off into the night sky. "Remember Chere, no loop de loops, save dat for de kiddies, Remy has a delicate stomach when you do dat." Laughing to herself Marie refrained from her usual antics and instead wrapped her arms about Remy as they both enjoyed the lights of the city below on the moonless night.

The next morning the pair awoke to find Dr. Langkowski in the suite of Emma Frost, white boards and computer equipment littering the sitting room, headphones on toying with a laptop. Still rubbing the sleep from their eyes a knock came at the door, a radiant and deadly looking Emma walking from her room in a sharply tailored suit that looked as if it could draw blood. "Breakfast everyone." The cart was pushed in by the hotel staffer, small fold of bills passed off as Emma dismissed the young man. "Remind Walter to eat, he's been here since seven. After your late night I may have put a suggestion into your minds that nothing was wrong in the world so you could get a good night's rest." Emma raised a finger at Marie's silent protests, pointing to the cart then.

"Walter and myself were here the whole time, had the slightest hint of danger come I would have woken you both myself. Now, eat, plot, and if you truly require it do not be afraid to ask for my assistance, just please ensure it's after six as my meeting should surely be done by then and I may have even enjoyed a cocktail at the lobby bar by that point." Spinning about Emma left the hotel suite with a tall coffee in one hand and her attache case in the other, heels clicking over the marble tiles. Whether the telepathic suggestion or a surreal calm before possibly facing Sinister himself, the LeBeau's picked away at the breakfast cart, on more than one occasion reminding their guest and compatriot to have something to eat as he fought with the recording from the night prior.

"So far most if it is just idle banter, nervous chatter between the minions as I think they should suitably be called. There is a noise in the background though that has my attention, I know I should know what it is, but just can't for the life of me think of it and despite my struggles I just can't clean it up." Their breakfast sat cold now, Remy and Marie had both showered and slipped into the usual mission gear. The sun had just started to slip beyond the tall sky scrapers that littered the downtown core, still far too many hours of daylight left for their liking. "De cameras?" Remy asked shuffling his cards with nervous energy. "The same five from last night with a new face, any of them could be Sinister if he's taken to change his guise. If not then the last sighting of him was well over a week ago, his regular visits before then already broken schedule." Walter said with a blown breath, swallowing the last of the cold coffee.

"That makes seven in there at least, against three o' us. Four if we drag Emma into this mess. Eight if Sinister is hiding in there too. Not bad odds if we take it at that, but Ah ain't expecting a fair fight." Marie was toying with her own pyrokentic gift blessed on her by the tragic day so many years before, plasmoids placed about the room with surgical precision only to flash harmlessly at her beck and call. The newest of all her powers was the one she'd used the less, for so long it'd been a reminder of a day she'd lost a friend in a tragic crash, now it found a use protecting her family. "Either way we gotta stop whatever that monster has cookin' up in there. God knows what kinda sufferin' is going on." None in the room need be reminded of the gruesome discovery in the middle eastern desert by X-force, Walter slowly shutting down the arrayed computers before packing up his notes.

"Oh, before I forget. Here, if things do go bad I've been authorized to use law enforcement assets. The spin will be hard, but I've got CSIS covering a metro SWAT unit in place. The government would rather we not use them due to the delicate nature of the situation though." Remy looked down at the badge that had been handed to him, leaning over to admire the picture upon his wife's then. "You mean we be Reserve Alpha Flight members?" Remy looked incredulous at it. "The first non-Canadian members, we got the idea from the Avengers. Mind you we spruced it up with dual citizenship for you and your family. The paperwork is in the mail. Welcome to Canada" Marie threw her arms about the muscular mythical superhero, the man crying alarm as he resorted to shifting to his orange haired visage at the strength of the embrace.

"I get the feeling the politicians wanted to keep de loose strings to a minimum if things go south homme, but we still be honoured, Merci." The hours till darkness were a long wait for the trio, the plan critiqued and refined again and again. In the end the television was turned on, Walter watching an NFL match as the LeBeau's retreated to the balcony to enjoy the setting darkening of the sky as the first stars fought for brilliance against the lingering azure day. "Ah want to call the girls." Marie confessed leaning against the railing of the balcony. "Call them and tell them Ah love them, but that makes me think something bad is gonna happen tonight. Ah don't want to scare them." Wrapping his arms about her Remy nestled closer, resting his chin upon her shoulder as he enjoyed the same view she did, the multitudes below enjoying their lives.

"Chere, call them. Nothing be stopping us from going home. We be doing this for dem and everybody else dat monster torments. They both be strong girls, we raised dem both right, even Lee since she was still shorter den Logan before she became dat beautiful fille we know they both will become again." Pulling away Remy drew Marie away from the balcony taking her hand in his own, both retreating to the bedroom to find one final comfort before the very real chance of facing an undoubted monster and whatever monstrosities lay within the secretive hosptial.

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End file.
